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BY LAND AND SEA 



INCIDENTS OF TKAVEL WITH CHATS ABOUT 



HISTORY AND LEGENDS 



BY 



HARRIET E. FRANCIS 



ILLUSTRATED 




TROY N. Y. 

NIMS AND KNIGHT 

1891 



COPYRIGHT, li!>1. 

BY J. M. FRANCIS & SON. 



FROM THE TROY TIMES PRESSES, 
TROY, N. Y. 



AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED 



TO THE GEANDCHILDREN 



OF THE AUTHOR. 



PREFACE. 



The materials for this volume were gathered by Mrs. 
John M. Francis of Troy, New York, during her residence 
abroad, while her husband was United States Minister at 
the Courts of Greece, Portugal and Austria-Hungary, and in a 
tour taken with him around the world. Unhappily, she did 
not live to superintend the publication of this work. But 
those who are aware of the purpose she had in view in prepar- 
ing it are permitted to state that whatever of novelty or fresh- 
ness there may be in her presentation of facts is the result of 
personal observation. 

Quick to apprehend the characteristic traits of a people or 
a country, she might easily have expanded these pages with an 
array of .details and statistics. But this was not her object. 
She desired primarily to enlarge the scope of the youthful 
mind by leading it to look away from itself and its environ- 
ments to a study of this spacious world of ours. The first ele- 
ment in such a process is to interest. It was, therefore, not 
a geography, a gazetteer, nor a formal work of travel that 
she proposed, but a simple sketch of the chief points which 
attracted her in some of the countries she visited, so expressed 
as to fix the attention of the young, and, by first diverting them, 
to end by instructing and leading them to develop an interest 
in the history, topography and peoples of all parts of the world. 
Or, in other w^ords, to quote from her own incompleted preface : 



VI PREFACE. 

"It is proposed by the author to have some chats with the 
young people on various subjects relating to history and the 
natural physical wonders of the world, introducing incidents of 
travel and several interesting tales translated from foreign 
languages. The chats will be arranged in chapters — hoping by 
this system of short readings not to weary the young reader." 

The fragmentary letters were compiled from correspond- 
ence with her children, relating to scenes and incidents coming 
under her observation during her sojourn abroad. There is no 
attempt at elaborate description, only salient points receiving 
attention, the object of the letters being to furnish in a familiar, 
conversational manner information most likely to interest or 
amuse the reader. 

With this statement of its purpose the volume is com- 
mended to the public, hoping it will meet with the results 
intended by the lamented author. 

JOHN M. FRANCIS. 



CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

Chat I. Across the Atlantic to England, - - 1 

II. France, Spain, and Portugal, - - - 9 

III. Switzerland, Austria, and Norway, - 24 

IV. Greece, - - - 4<) 

V. Turkey, - - 51 

VI. Egypt, - - - - - - - - 61 

VII. Arabia and India, ----- 79 

VIII. China, - . - 99 

IX. Japan, ------- us 

X. Home once More, - - - - . - 126 



FRAGMENTARY LETTERS. 

Utah, - - - - - - - 139 

California, - - - . . . - 141 

Japan, - - - - - - - 146 

China, - - - - - - - 152 

Singapore, - - - - - - 161 

Ceylon, - - - - - - - 164 

Egypt, ------- 1^7 

Austria, - - - - - . . 175 

Hungary, - - " - - - • ISO 

Bohemia, - - - - - - - 184 

Portugal, - - - - - - . 191 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE. 

1. Lisbon, Portugal, - - - - - - 18 

2. Chamouni, Switzerland, _ . . _ . 94 
8. The Acropolis, Athens, ----- 4.0 

4. Mars Hill, Athens, ------ ^4. 

5. The Golden Horn from Pera, - - _ 52 
B. Snake Charmers in Benares, Indi-4, - . - - 80 

7. An Indian carriage and pair, Bombay, - 82 

8. The Burning Ghat on the Ganges at Benares, 84 

9. A Hindoo mother and children — Group of Indian 

men and women in Bombay, India, - - 86 

10. Banyan Tree at Barrackpore, near Calcutta, 

India, - ------- 88 

11. State Elephants of the Viceroy equipped for a 

Journey, Benares, - - - - - 90 

12. The Taj at Agra, India, - - - - - 92 

13. A Corridor in the Pal-ice at Agra, India, - 94 

14. The Kutub Minar — A Corridor of the Mosque 

NEAR the Kutub Minar, Delhi, India, - 96 

15. The Audience Chamber in the Palace at Agra, 98 
IH. Jap-\nese Bed-room Scenes, - - - - 118 

17. A JiNRIKSHAW AND CHINESE BaRBER, - - - 122 

18. Niagara Falls, ------- 130 

19. The Great Japanese Idol of Diabutsa at Kama- 

eura, near yokohama, - - - . 150 

20. A Chinese Junk, ------ 154 

21. Natives of Singapore, - - - - - 16O 

22. The Entrance to the Whampoo Gardens, Singapore, 162 

23. Jewel Peddlers at Point-de- Galea, Island of 

Ceylon, - ------ - i64 

24. The Exterior of the Pavilion of the Palace at 

Gezeereh, Cairo, - - . . - 170 

25. The Pyramid of Cheops, the Sphynx and Temple 

of Chafra, Cairo, ----- 172 

26. Entrance of the Monserrate Palace and the 

Square of D. Pedro, Lisbon, - - - 192 

ix. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 



CHAT I 
ACEOSS THE ATLANTIC TO ENGLAND. 



Among the Rolling Billows — At the Mersey's Mouth — Vast 
London — A City that Five Millions of People Call Home 
— The Abbey and the Cathedral — The Great White 
Tower— Through English Parks to Shakespeare's Home 
—An Inn Whose Every Room is a Drama — Where an Im- 
mortal Poet Lived and Loved— A Queen's Huge Castle- 
Home — Splendor in China, Porcelain and Gold — The Cap- 
ital OF France and the Tomb of Napoleon — Wedding- 
Parties Among the Trees — Turning Southward. 

Let us begin our chat by sailing for England, following the 
path by which I first visited the Old World. 

About noontime I went on board the great four-masted 
steamship that was soon to cast off from the dock and move 
slowly away from her moorings. The Stars and Stripes were 
floating proudly from the masthead ; scores of loving hands 
were waving the last good-by, signal answering signal, and even 
some of the sturdy old tars were seen to wipe away unbidden 
tears as they took a farewell look at their wives and little ones 
who have come down to the wharf to see the ship off. The bag- 
gage is hurried on the deck, and tons of mail bags are tossed 



2 BY LAND AND SEA. 

after the boxes and trunks. The passengers go below to open 
the steamer trunks, and arrange for the necessities of the voy- 
age, before it becomes too rough to attend to these Httle duties. 

As we approach Sandy Hook dinner is announced ; the 
seats at table are all occupied. Some of the inexperienced sea- 
travelers remark on the insufficient table service. Overhearing 
this, an old voyager says : "It will be all right in a day or two, 
ray friends. To-morrow there will be more waiters than 
diners." "How can that be?" ventured to ask a fair young 
girl who is making her first sea voyage. "Old Neptune will 
find us out by to-morrow, and in all probability will escort us 
a part of the way over. And when the old sea-dog comes out, 
many of the ladies remain in their cabins," said the traveler. 
When we crossed the foaming bar and passed out on the broad 
ocean I counted a score or more of ships, large and small, plough- 
ing through the briny deep in all directions ; some freighted to 
overflowing with human beings, and others loaded to the water's 
edge with rich products from the far-off Indies on their way to 
America. 

But soon our stately steamship began to toss and dip her 
prow deep in the sea, rise up and ride majestically over the 
mountain waves as they rolled higher and higher, now and then 
throwing a tremendous sea on the deck. However, I felt but 
little anxiety, confident of the strength of the great ship, and 
of the skill of the navigators of our time, who know well how 
to overcome the dangers of the sea. 

In less than a week, so swiftly do these splendid steamships 
now cross the Atlantic, we saw the green fields of "Merry 
old England " as we sailed up the channel and arrived at the 
entrance of the port of Liverpool, which lies at the mouth of the 
river Mersey. We took a pilot who safely guided the vessel to 
her dock, and in an hour we were on shore, bag and baggage, 
and hurried to the railwav station. There we took a train for 



SIGHTS IN LONDON. 3 

London, anxious for a peep at the greatest city in the world, 
although we would gladly have waited a few hours to see more 
of Liverpool, and visit the quaint old city of Chester, which is 
not far distant. 

We arrived in London after dark. As we rode rapidly in 
a carriage from street to street until we reached our hotel, I 
was overwhelmed with the vastness of this wonderful capital 
and the endless crowds which thronged its labyrinth of streets. 
There are many entire countries, any one of which does not con- 
tain as many people as the city of London. Its population is 
about five millions. 

One of the most important sights of London is the Astro- 
nomical Observatory at Greenwich, on the river Thames. It is 
one of the landmarks of the earth, for time and distance are 
reckoned from this observatory, calculations of which are 
accepted by more than half the world. 

Following the Thames I took a glance at Westminster 
Abbey, one of the most renowned buildings in England. The 
Abbey is of the Gothic style of architecture, and is more 
than one hundred years older than St. Paul's Cathedral. 
It was built in the early part of 1500. Its walls enclose 
the sepulchre of the royal family and the tombs and monu- 
ments of many of England's most celebrated poets and states- 
men. 

The dome of St. Paul's Cathedral is easily distinguished by 
its size and height from other massive buildings in London. It 
is next in size to St. Peter's at Rome. St. Paul's is five hun- 
dred feet and St. Peter's six hundred and thirty feet long. 
The height from the ground to the extreme top of St. Paul's is 
three hundred and sixty-five feet ; St. Peter's lifts its cross four 
hundred and thirty-seven feet from its base. When Sir Chris- 
topher Wren was excavating for the foundation walls of St. 
Paul's CathedraJ jn J6T5, he found relics of an older structure. 



4 BY LAND AND SEA 

It is not yet determined exactly when the earher church was 
built. 

Another edifice of great interest is the Tower of London, 
sometimes called the White Tower because of its color. It is 
said to have had its origin at the time when Julius Caesar 
invaded England, although it has been much changed since then. 
The servitors and custodians wear richly-colored clothes of the 
style worn in the time of Queen Elizabeth. The crown jewels, 
including the famous Koh-i-noor diamond, are kept there and 
shown to visitors ; in another gallery is a row of mounted fig- 
ures in the mail armor of the days of chivalry. But to one who 
reads English history the chief interest of this ancient struc- 
ture is in the fact that it was for centuries the place where pris- 
oners of state were confined, and executed when condemned. 
Anne Boleyn, Sir Thomas More, Sir Walter Raleigh and many 
other characters famous in history pined and suffered within 
these grim old walls. 

Among various excursions which we made when in Eng- 
land was a visit to the renowned birthplace of Shakespeare at 
Stratford-on-Avon. It is a journey of three hours by rail from 
London. There were extensive parks, clumps of venerable oaks 
and elms, picturesque old water mills, quaint old villages with 
their gray stone churcheSj little old thatch-roofed cottages with 
moss-covered walls, and many other features of English scenery 
appearing before us as we passed through the country. 

We took lodgings in the Shakespeare Inn, the identical 
tavern where the poet went daily for his cup of sack. Time 
has made its ravages in the old building. There have been 
some additions to it, but in the general character of the rooms 
we were told no change had been made. All the rooms are 
named from the poet's plays, each having its name printed in 
black letters over the door. My room was the "Romeo and 
Juliet" chamber ; a friend who was with us was lodged in 



SHAKESPEARE'S HOME. 5 

'All's Well that Ends Well ;" another friend occupied the 
"King Lear" chamber. The coffee-room is called ''As You 
Like It ;" the family sitting-room is named the " Merry Wives 
of Windsor;" the tap-room has over the door "Measure for 
Measure." One bed-room is named the "Desdemona" cham- 
ber, and so on, until the forty rooms of the house are all desig- 
nated. 

Tf w^e believe what is told us, the old house is still con- 
ducted as it was in the great poet's time. The bedrooms 
remain unchanged in size, and, judging from the appearance of 
the furniture in the rooms I occupied, there has been but little 
change in it. I am sure the modern toilet of a lady could not 
be made in one of these small bedrooms. The window-panes 
are five by six inches, and are set in very heavy sashes. Every- 
thing in and about the house indicates antiquity. 

We visited the house in which the immortal poet was born. 
The old servant there informed us that it " looks just as it did 
when the baby William lay there in his cradle." The house is 
now used as a museum for Shakespeare's relics. We went to 
the church where the poet was baptized. On one of the pews 
is a metal plate on which is engraved the name of the poefs 
father. We also visited Shottery, the little farm-house where 
Anne Hathaway's parents lived, about a mile from the village. 
The young poet, little suspecting his future renown, made fre- 
quent excursions thither to pay court to Mistress Anne, whom 
he afterwards married and who was his senior by several years. 
A descendent of the Hathaway family — an old lady far along 
in her seventies — occupied the old house when we visited it. 
She called our attention to the well, the very same out of which 
the family drew^ water in olden times. She showed us a few 
pieces of old delft ware which was used by the family in the 
days when William was accustomed to sup there. In reply to 
the question if one or two of those articles could be bought, the 



6 BY LAND AND SEA. 

good old lady said, "Not for any money," We sat upon the 
same settee in the chimney-corner on which the young poet 
and Mistress Anne sat many a time. I can accept the age of 
the old hench, for it has been strengthened on all sides with 
bands of iron, and the back legs are kept in place by two thick 
hickory blocks. 

Not far from Stratford is Warwick Castle, one of the finest 
remains of the feudal times to be seen in Europe. It is famous 
as the stronghold of the great Duke of Warwick, known as the 
King- maker, on account of his power in the long and terrible 
wars of the Roses. On our return to London we visited another 
famovis castle, now a royal palace. It is at Windsor, an 
hour's ride by rail from London, and Queen Victoria resides 
there most of the time. We were shown the State apartments, 
the Queen's drawing and dining rooms, and the chambers just 
made ready for the Princess Beatrice and Prince Henry of Bat- 
tenberg. The latter suite of rooms is called the " bridal apart- 
ment " and it is always given to the last married couple of the 
royal family. Nothing more cosy and comfortable can be 
imagined than this beautiful apartment. The sitting-room is 
elegant and cheerful in crimson velvet and gold decorations. 
The lovely little morning-room is prettily furnished in pink and 
white satin. The stately bed-chamber is upholstered in blue 
satin, with silver cord and tassel trimmings. The baths are 
marble. From the windows are seen vistas of stately old elms, 
and wide stretches of green lawns, with here and there beds of 
flowers. Beyond, one sees the noble forests of Windsor Park, 
with countless sheep grazing quietly on its lawns. 

The castle is very extensive. The building covers twenty- 
two acres, and is perhaps the largest in Europe. When the 
Queen is at Windsor, four hundred servants, including three 
head cooks, are employed there. Each chief cook has his own 
kitchen and assistants. One of the finest collections in the 



BEAUTIFUL PARIS. 7 

world of the famous Sevres ware and antique porcelains is to 
be seen at Windsor castle. It is arranged in large ebony cabi- 
nets, lined with cream-colored satin. There are no less than 
forty-five of these cabinets in the different drawing-rooms and 
in the portrait gallery ; the Queen's drawing-rooms, four in all, 
have cabinets of choice porcelain along the four sides of the 
walls. We were shown the china pantry. This is a large 
room with shelves from floor to ceiling, filled with rich and 
costly old and new china. Of the porcelain in use there 
are ten services of rich Sevres, each of which is sufficient for 
a banquet of one hundred and fifty guests. This is splendid 
indeed. 

In the banqueting hall, adjoining the Queen's apartments, 
is a punch bowl made of thirteen thousand ounces of pure sil- 
ver, and heavily plated inside and outside with gold. 

Now let us visit Paris. It is a wonderful city to look upon, 
with its magnificent buildings, lovely avenues and gardens, its 
fine old cathedrals and numerous church spires. Beautiful 
Paris is the queen of cities. Among the many conspicuous edi- 
fices is the Hotel des Invalides, the resting place of the remains 
of Napoleon Bonaparte. In this mausoleum, at noon every day, 
a military burial salute is given by the Napoleon Guard in 
remembrance of the great French hero. When I witnessed this 
solemn ceremony, some years ago, there was still among the 
platoon of soldiers one tottering old man who had served under 
the famous general. 

Paris is not the gay city that it was during the empire, 
The political situation is too unsettled to allow much atten- 
tion to be given to its adornment, or even in preserving that 
which remains of the olden times. One of the most interesting 
buildings of the former Paris — the Tuilleries — exists no more as 
a palace. A portion of the building is now occupied as official 
bureaus. The gardens, however, are still well kept, although 



8 BY LAND AND SEA. 

the absence of the once beautiful palace detracts much from 
their beauty. 

The splendid boulevard called the Champs Elysees — leading 
up to the Arc de Triomphe — is always bright with throngs of 
gay equipages and animated with amusing street spectacles. 
The Bois de Boulogne is a lovely park. It covers a lai'ge area 
and some parts are preserved to appear hke wild forest land. 
The Bois de Yincennes is still the favorite place for the bridal 
tour of wedding parties among a certain class of Parisian shop- 
people. The bride and gi'oom with a few favorite attendants, 
immediately after the marriage, which occurs in the chapel 
near the park, take a walk through the beautiful groves. The 
wedding party with uncovered heads, the bride's veil wafting 
to and fro with the fancy of the winds, present a very romantic 
picture. 

One might linger for months amused by the many inter- 
esting ancient and modern spectacles of the gay capital of 
France ; but there is yet much for us to see in our wanderings, 
and we must proceed onward and southward. 



CHAT II. 



FRANCE— SPAIN— PORTUGAL. 



The Vine-Covered Hills of Southern France— Castles and 
Bandit-Caves — Across the Spanish Border— A Robber- 
Band Surrounds a Diligence — How a Countess Saved 
Her Treasures — Money in an Englishman's Boots- A Dtn- 
ner-Party with Jewels for Souvenirs — The Storied Al- 
HAMBRA — Spain's Centre — Madrid — Foot- Washing at Se- 
ville — Canvass that Master Painters made Beautiful — 
The Fame of Portuguese History — Cork and Tiles— How 
Ulysses Founded Lisbon — The Queen and the Diamond 
Counterfeiter — Driving Turkeys to Market — Pelted at 
THE Carnival — Flour and Perfumed Water — Missiles 
from all Hands— Ladies Barefooted in a Religious Pro- 
cession — Oporto — Students and their Caps — Fish women 
Adorned with Gold and Silver— Pilgrims Climbing on 
THEIR Knees to the Shrine on the Mountain-Top. 

Rushing over the railway past many a lovely valley, and 
many an old castle crumbling on picturesque heights, we at 
last reach the south of France and look upon one of the pleas- 
antest parts of the European Continent, where some beautiful 
pictures are brought to view, linked with interesting remem- 
brances. 

The slopes of this long mountain range dividing France and 
Spain, and extending through some of Spain's richest pos- 
sessions, are intense^ picturesque. The pretty, vine-clad villas, 
the romantic old chateaus, the little villages of the mountains, 



10 BY LAND AND SEA. 

walled in with laden fruit trees, the groves of chestnuts, the 
many miles of mulberry trees festooned with white and purple 
fruit, offer a pretty panoramic view to look upon. And now 
and then may be seen a little hamlet with its church spire 
towering high above the low cottages. 

And again, far above the gardens of the Pyrenees, rise 
famous old castles with their turreted towers, many of them long 
since reduced to ruins, but still interesting to look upon. Inter- 
spersed among these old ruins are many grottos and caverns, 
which formerly were the dens of the bandits ; and perhaps even 
in our days may be found some of these human terrors. We 
don't like robber stories, and none should enter into our chats, 
but I must relate an incident that occurred not many years ago, 
for it is amusing rather than thrilling. 

The story was told me by a French lady who witnessed the 

scene. This lady, Madame , was making a day's journey in 

a diligence over one of the mountain roads in the lower Pyre- 
neean range. Among the half-dozen passengers was a Spanish 
countess and an Enghshman. The countess was dressed in the 
garb of an humble peasant, and in her appearance gave no 
indication of her station in life. 

The day had passed without incident or unusual adventure 
until just at night-fall, when suddenly a peculiar signal was 
sounded by the post — horn a signal that is given by the coach- 
man when he discovers at a distance a band of suspicious look- 
ing men, and it is well understood by Spaniards. The disguised 
countess quickly remarked that if any of the passengers had 
money or jewels with them they should dispose of them as best 
they could, in order to save them from the bandits. 

The Enghshman said he had four thousand pounds in bank 
notes with him and asked how he should hide his money. The 
countess told him to take off his boots, puU out the inner 
soles and lay the bank notes in between the soles and put them 



STOPPED BY ROAD AGENTS. 11 

on again. He did as recommended, even the countess assisting 
him so as to hasten the work. 

In a few minutes the diUgence had overtaken the men, and 
immediately four stalwart bandits, disguised, seized the horses 
by the bits, while others presented themselves at the doors of 
the carriage. They politely saluted the passengers, saying 
smilingly, " Your money or your lives, gentlemen." All denied 
having any money. The countess with an innocent look pointed 
to the Englishman's boots, giving a certain signal, and said, 
' ' Gentlemen, examine his boots. " The bank notes were quickly 
found and taken, whereupon the bandits thanked the gentle- 
man for having so much money with him, and quietly disap- 
peared in the thicket, believing they had secured all the treas- 
ure in the diligence, and that the informer was one of their 
band. 

As soon as the diligence had got under way again, the Eng- 
lishman showed great indignation, as did the other passengers 
also, and all were loud in their expressions of anger that the 
informer had suggested to their fellow traveler where to conceal 
his money, and then without hesitation had disclosed the fact. 

After this free and certainly not uncalled-for expression 
on the part of the occupants of the diligence, the countess told 
him who she was, corroborating her statement by showing a 
paper of identification. She said that she had taken this means 
to save herself from the robbers, as she had with her a much 
larger sum of money than the gentleman had lost, and that she 
would with pleasure restore the full amount, and regarded her- 
self as very fortunate that she was able to save the larger part 
of her own treasure, all of which would certainly have been 
taken from her, as the bandits generally examined every 
unprotected person who came in their way on the high roads, 
adding that she had resorted to this ruse, not only to save a 
part of her own treasure but also as a protection to the other 



12 BY LAND AND SEA. 

passengers by giving out the idea that she belonged to the 
bandits' band, and had procured the information as to who in 
the diligence had money. 

After the explanation of what certainly appeared to be a 
gross act of treachery, the countess invited the company to 
dine with her on the following day in her chateau in the town 
where all were to leave the diligence, and would be obliged to 
remain a day awaiting the next post conveyance, at the same 
time remarking that not one of her traveling companions would 
finally regret the disagreeable adventure. 

At the hour designed on the next day the invited guests 
presented themselves at the chateau, not knowing whether 
a snarl or a pleasure was in store for them. The countess 
received them in a splendid audience room, and at once presented 
the Englishman not only with his lost four thousand pounds, 
but an additional thousand, and to each of her guests a valuable 
jewel. 

The dinner episode was charming, and the guests departed 
delighted. 

Being on the frontier of Spain, let us take a glance at that 
country on our way to Portugal. We may think of Spain as 
being richer in historic lore and works of art than in the beauty 
of its landscapes. A large part of the Spanish domain is 
covered with olive, cork and chestnut groves. All of these 
products are, as we know, in demand the world over. The 
greatest treasures of Spain are its Alhambra and picture gal- 
leries. 

The Alhambra, which is in the city of Granada, is men- 
tioned in the early historic annals of Spain. It was the palace 
of the ancient Moorish Kings. There is a record of the exist- 
ence of a part of the palace in 884, when it was spoken of as a 
"terrestrial paradise." To form an idea of what it must have 
been in the magnificence of its early days one must imagine 



MADRID AND PORTUGAL. 13 

himself in the palaces of "Arabian Nights " renown as pictured 
in these fairy tales. 

But large additions have been made from time to time to 
this most interesting edifice. This monument of such interest 
and splendor has been immortalized by the magic pen of one of 
our own authors, Washington Irving. 

Madrid is situated about the center of the dominion. A 
little church stands just outside the city, which occupies, it is 
said, the exact central point of Spain. The city rests on high 
ground, and the soil, for nearly a hundred miles in every 
direction, is sandy, rocky and arid, and cannot be cultivated 
to any extent. 

Seville is a beautiful city. The ceremonies of the Roman 
church are celebrated here more fully and more strictly than in 
any other European city. The religious ceremony of foot- 
washing, according to the Bible tradition, is still observed here 
as well as in Austria. When we reach Vienna we may be able 
to witness this most remarkable ceremonial at more leisure 
than we can give to it in this evening's chat. 

There is a beautiful drive in the heart of Madrid, called the 
Patiro, where magnificent turnouts may be seen and beautiful 
women wearing mantillas on their heads instead of bonnets. 
The Madrid picture gallery contains one of the finest col- 
lections in the world. Masterpieces by Murillo, Titian, Tinto- 
retto, Velasquez, Raphael, Rembrandt, Rubens, Van Dyck, 
Teniers, Guido Reni and other renowned painters are there. 
How much one may learn by studying the works of those 
masters ! 

From Spain to Portugal is but a step, comparatively speak- 
ing. Portugal is a small country but has a brave people. The 
hidalgos, or nobility of olden times, were a heroic race. Hero- 
ism and bravery ai^e emblazoned all over the national history. 
Spain had her Oohimbus and Ponce de Leon ; Portugal had her 



14 BY LAND AND SEA. 

Vasco da Gama, and her national poet Camoens. The Portu- 
guese were the first European navigators of the waters of the 
East Indies since the time of Alexander the Great. They made 
discoveries of islands and countries which had never seen the 
Christian cross until raised by the Portuguese pioneers. 

The peninsula comprising Spain and Portugal has exper- 
ienced frightful earthquakes at times. The earthquake at 
Lisbon of 1T55 was one of the most terrible in its consequences 
of any known in the history of the world. It is said that more 
than 60,000 persons perished that day. 

A large portion of Portugal is covered with cork and olive 
groves. The commerce in cork is one of its largest industries. 
The landscape everywhere is picturesque. The valleys are cov- 
ered with grapes, and the highlands with olive and cork for- 
ests. 

Many of the houses in the larger cities, and, also in the 
smaller towns, are faced outside with bright -colored tiles laid 
on in picturesque designs, often in Moorish and sometimes in 
floral patterns. The effect under the bright sunlight is bril- 
liant, the colors glistening like precious stones. In some of 
the old palaces the inside walls are covered with blue and white 
tiling halfway up the ceiling, depicting battle scenes, pictures 
from family life and noted historic events. 

I found in an old Portuguese book the following very inter- 
esting legend respecting the founding of the city of Lisbon : 

It is related that Ulysses, the hero of Greek history, with 
a band of followers, during his long wanderings on the seas 
endeavoring to find his native isle, Ithaca, after the conquest 
of Troy, came into the River Tagus. Here he found the har- 
bor so delightful, after his long and dangerous buffetings on 
the seas, and the products along the shores so satisfying to his 
half -famished men, that he determined to trace out and occupy 
a city close by the shore. This he did, and erected a temple to 



AN INTERESTING LEGEND. 15 

Minerva, Darning the new city Ulysippo. The intruding cus- 
toms and the overbearing manners of the Greeks at last drew 
upon them the hostihty of the natives, and Ulysses was com- 
pelled to abandon the hope of making a permanent settlement 
in this genial climate, and induced his men — many of whom 
were inclined to remain with the natives — to sail again in 
search of his beloved Island of Ithaca, always hoping once 
more to meet Pe-nelope and Telemachus, his wife and son, from 
whorp. he had been separated so many years. 

An interesting tale is related of one of the early queens of 
Portugal, which has been immortalized by Auber in the opera 
of "Crown Diamonds." The story is dated in the year 1700 ; 
the scene is laid in Portugal. The opera is in three acts. The 
first act is located in the Estremadura mountains ; the second 
In the Castle of the Duke de Campo-Mayor, in Coimbra ; and 
the third act in the royal palace in Lisbon. 

The story goes as follows : The young queen of Portugal, 
still in her minority, becomes aware of the embarrassed cir- 
cumstances of the Kingdom, and resolves upon a novel way to 
assist the pecuniary condition of her country. She hears of a 
man who has been sentenced to death for coining false money. 
She has him secretly brought before her and tells him she will 
spare him life if he will make an imitation of the crown jewels, 
but it is to be done under the strictest secrecy, and so perfectly 
that the deception shall not be discovered. Thereupon the con- 
demned man collects his band of workmen, and chooses for his 
laboratory a deep cavern in the rocks of the Estremadura 
mountains beneath an old hermitage. 

In the garb of a gypsy girl, the young princess from time 
to time visits the secluded cavern under the pretense of going 
to the chapel in the hermitage, and carries to the counterfeiter 
each time some of the diamonds of which he is to make the 
imitation. 



16 BY LAND AND SEA. 

In the meanwhile an accident occurs to one of the hidalgos 
or nobility, who chances to be traveling in that country and 
has been thrown from his carriage and seriously hurt. He is 
brought to the hermitage for rest. Accidentally he falls through 
a trap-door into the cave where the men are at work, and the 
gypsy princess happens to be there at the same time. The 
young nobleman is obliged to remain some time in the cavern 
before he can be removed ; he becomes enamored of the pretty 
gypsy girl, who does not repel his advances, for she knows full 
well who her companion is. However, the time comes for them 
to separate. The young man swears that he will not divulge 
what he has seen in the cavern, and the princess gives him one 
of the real jewels as a souvenir, and requests him never to part 
with it. 

The false jewels are at last finished, and the chief of the 
band, with the disguised princess, starts for Lisbon. Mean- 
while the crown jewels are missed, and the country is filled with 
armed police searching for the robbers. The chief and the 
gypsy are arrested on suspicion and taken to Coimbra, where 
they are brought before the Minister of Justice. There the 
nobleman meets the gypsy girl, for he, too, is under temporary 
arrest, it having been discovered that he is wearing on his 
finger one of the lost jewels. He is greatly surprised to see her 
with the chief of the band of supposed robbers, but through 
the infiuence of the nobleman, she and the counterfeiter 
obtained a reprieve. 

All hurry on to Lisbon to sue for mercy before the queen, 
who has just been declared to have attained her majority and 
is soon to be crowned. 

During this time the real jewels have been sent abroad for 
sale, and the false ones have been substituted in their place. 

The young queen is crowned. On the day of her corona- 
tion the revelation of the plot occurs, when the queen most 



CURIOUS SIGHTS IN LISBON. 17 

satisfactorily'explains her plan for replenishing the royal treas- 
ury, and her course is approved. The young hidalgo appears 
before the queen to sue for pardon, and is surprised to discover 
that the queen and the gypsy girl are the same person ; and a 
second and greater surprise awaits him when the queen chooses 
him for her husband, and says : "All is well ; nothing is false 
but the jewels I wear, and this is for the good of the country." 

One of the curious sights of Lisbon is the Turkey Market, 
which is held during the winter months. The turkeys are 
driven in numbers of a hundred "bills" or more through 
the streets by old women and barefooted children. They are 
counted and spoken of as "bills," just as we speak of so many 
head of cattle. At the well-known cry of the venders, " Who 
wants to buy a turkey ? " cooks hurry to the streets to make 
selections, and ladies in carriages and on the promenade order 
the turkey-drivers to pass their houses and leave them so many 
"bills." 

When I was in Lisbon the carnival occurred in February. 
It was a very entertaining sight, as I saw it from a balcony of 
the Chiado or Broadway of Lisbon. One of the absurd amuse- 
ments was throwing flour at each other. Those engaged in 
that sport protected their heads with caps drawn tightly over 
them, and donned clothing that could be washed, while the 
furniture was removed into back rooms. But no one could 
avoid the play of the bisuagas or small syringes through which 
perfumed water was ejected. Children frequently salute their 
parents in the early morning during the carnival with a sprink- 
ling from the bisuagas. 

In the house opposite us were a dozen men and women 
covered with flour from head to foot. Long before six o'clock, 
the hour when the carnival was to terminate, those people 
were ghastly white, and moved about in clouds of flying flour. 
Small paper bags containing flour are often thrown upon the 



IS BY LAND AND SEA. 

people passing in the streets, while others are hurled at those 
seated or standing at the windows of the opposite houses. 
Persons thus assailed have no other redress than to return the 
pelting. Everything is considered as fair play during the last 
day of the carnival. 

Small bags of beans and corn are often tossed into the car- 
riages as disguised acquaintances are discovered passing each 
other in the street. I saw a peck of beans showered upon 
the crowd beneath the balcony of the house across the street. 
Sacks of squares of colored paper, cut very fine by machinery, 
are often dropped upon the heads of the passers-by, making 
pretty effects as they flutter about. Another pretty spectacle 
consists of showers of silver and gilt-tinsel paper, in small 
pieces, dropped from the roofs of the houses and wafted about 
the Chiado in the bright sunlight by the breezes, and lighting 
here and there upon the merry crowd below, like so many fall- 
ing gold and silver stars. Nosegays, with mottoes or billets 
cloux hidden among the flowers, are also thrown at those who 
may be recognized through their disguise. Another cunning 
device for carnival sport, is small balls made of fine cut paper, 
saturated with perfumed water, and used as carnival missiles 
and hurled at each other ; these balls explode as they strike, 
and the wet paper flies apart and sticks fast wherever it falls. 

During the last three hours of the carnival everyone 
becomes wild with excitement, and consequently great liberty is 
allowed. Nobody takes offense at anything, knowing well that 
the only way to escape the inconveniences of carnival sports is 
to remain at home. Naturally, however, everybody wants to 
see the sport, and of course is assailed everywhere. Not only 
do the people of the lower classes participate in these sportive 
contentions, but ladies and gentlemen in the highest society 
disguise and mask themselves and join the wild throng in the 
Chiado. Often entire families give way to the carnival craze 



THE CARNIVAL IN PORTUGAL. 19 

and go along the streets hurling beans and corn at persons in 
carriages and on the balconies. 

The grand finale of the carnival is deferred until evening, 
when the theaters become centers of festivities. San Carlos, the 
royal opera house, has its parquet floored over, and dancing 
begins there at nine o'clock to end at midnight. Sometimes the 
members of the royal family participate in the amusements of 
the evening from the royal box ; and they, too, are subject to 
the play of the bisuaga, without showing any resentment, and 
pleasantly join in the general pelting of the people about them. 
Those attending these balls are masked and wear dominos, and 
everybody is armed with bisuagas. 

During the last three days of the carnival I did not dare to 
venture out in an open carriage. Once when riding in a close 
coach the door was daringly opened and a bisuaga was fired at 
me. A little farther on the carriage door was again opened, 
and a coil of muddy string was thrown on my lap and quickly 
drawn out, leaving a dirty track on my dress. 

It is a puzzle to foreigners to learn the names of many of 
the streets in Lisbon, for some of them are spoken of by a 
name entirely different from that displayed on the sign board. 
For instance, the street named Rua Bella da Rainha, or the 
Beautiful Street of the Queen, is generally called Rua da Praia, 
Silver Street. Some of the street names are also absurdly long 
and inconvenient, such as Rua da Santo Antonia do Convento 
do Coracao de Jesus, Street of St. Antonio on the Square of the 
Convent of the Heart of Jesus. There are also some names of 
odd meaning, such as the street of the Onions and street of the 
Happily Married. One may learn considerable of the Portu- 
guese language by studying the street names. 

The religious processions were formerly among the most 
striking sights of Lisbon. But the later laws of Portugal have 
resulted in decreasing the power of the Koman Catholic Church 



-'" BY LAND AND SEA. 

in that country and with it the number and splendor of its 
street processions. One of the chief processions nowadays is 
that of Corpus Christi. It represents our Savior on his way to 
the crucifixion. There are six different figures of Christ in 
wood, carried upon as many platforms, decorated with natural 
and artifi.cial flowers. Each platform is borne by eight priests 
with uncovered heads, preceded by a little girl about eight years 
old, dressed to represent an angel ; she wears a bright blue 
dress and shoes of the same color ; two silver paper wings are 
attached to her shoulders and a wreath of white roses crowns 
her head. 

The''first figure of Christ was dressed in a long purple robe, 
representing him as a teacher. The second was in a kneeling 
position and had a green bra,nch in its hand. The third figure 
had a long, heavy rope around its waist. The fourth was naked 
and the feet and hands were bound with ropes. The figure on 
the'fifth platform was bent and bore a heavy cross. The last 
figure represented Christ nailed to the cross. Then followed 
the figure of Mary, the mother. Behind these figures walked 
several men and women doing penance They had made vows 
that if certain prayers were answered, they would go through 
the streets barefooted in the procession and afterward dispense 
with shoes for a certain length of time. Among the penitents 
was a lady of nobility wearing a long black veil over her head 
and face, and carrying a crucifix in her hand. I observed that 
her feet were white and very dehcate, and evidently unaccus- 
tomed to the hard pavement. There was a large military 
escort, and thousands of peeple moved in the procession. 

In the pleasant month of May we made an excursion to 
Oporto, going by rail. The distance between the two capitals, 
as Lisbon and Oporto are called, is one hundred and eighty 
miles, but it requires thirteen hours to accomplish the journey, 
owing to the slow running time and frequent stops. We saw 



OPORTO— ITS PEOPLE AND CUSTOMS. 21 

thousands of men, women and children laboring in the vine- 
yards and grain fields, the scenery being everywhere very beau- 
tiful. In the neighborhood of Oporto is the district where the 
famous port wine is produced, and we saw grapes cultivated on 
all sides. 

We stopped at Coimbra on the way. It is a most interest- 
ing university town, picturesquely built on a hillside by the 
banks of the lovely river Mandego. Many hundred students 
attend the University of Coimbra. One meets them everywhere 
on the streets. They are very polite in manner and always 
ready to reply to inquiries. While at college, the students do 
not wear hats in summer or winter. The uniform is a plain 
black suit, comprising a long black frock-coat and a Spanish 
cap having long tabs, one of which can be thrown over the 
left shoulder and the other in bad weather over the head. 

Oporto is built on the steep banks of the Douro river, three 
miles from the mouth, and presents a very handsome appear- 
ance. The houses are generally faced outside with azulejos or 
glazed tiles of bright colors and Moorish patterns. Every 
window has its balcony, and the eaves project so far that they 
really offer a protection from rain to the passers-by. The 
entrances to the houses are low and dark. One of the finest 
streets of Oporto is occupied almost entirely by the gold and 
silver trade. Beautiful filigree ornaments are made there out 
of those metals. The women fish-venders wear neck-chains, 
ear-rings, finger- rings and large brooches either of gold or sil- 
ver, even going without hat and shoes, and scarce skirt enough 
to cover their knees. But with these ornaments and a gay 
scarf around the waist the brown-complexioned women look 
quite bonny. 

In Oporto the carrying business is done by oxen driven by 
barefooted and bareheaded old women and little girls, who 
handle dexterously the long switches with which they hasten 



22 B V LAND AND SEA. 

the steps of the slow-moving animals. From Oporto we drove 
in a diligence to Braza, an interesting old cathedral town. 
From Braza we rode in a horse-railroad car to the foot of a 
mountain, where we took a cable elevator car that conveyed us 
by a very steep ascent twelve hundred feet higher, to the cele- 
brated shrine and resort of pilgrims called Bon Jesus, or the 
Good Jesus. We found comfortable lodging at the Hotel do 
Bon Jesus. But the beds were hard as straw beds can be. 
Spring beds and hair mattresses have not found their way into 
that part of Portugal. The pillows were little cushions about 
twelve inches square, one on a bed, about as thick as a biscuit, 
and the pillow cover as stiff as starch could make it. These 
little pillows are not very practical for the inexperienced per- 
son, as I learned to my cost. I awakened during the night to 
find that my pillow had mysteriously disappeared ; after search- 
ing foi- it I found it on the floor beside the bed. Again I missed 
it that night, and again found it on the floor. On the second 
night I pinned the pillow to the straw bed, and slept undis- 
turbed. Bon Jesus is a remarkable place, not only for the view 
one has from it over half of Portugal, but for the various 
means offered for the devotions of pious pilgrims. The last 
half of the ascent up the mountain is often made by them on 
their knees climbing up a stairway of four hundred steps. On 
both sides of this stairway, at short intervals, are small stone 
chapels, richly decorated both inside and outside with sculp- 
tured stone. Each chapel also contains from ten to twenty 
life-size painted wooden figures in eastern costume, to repre- 
sent scenes in the life of Christ. On stone tablets above the 
doors are quotations from the Bible, explaining the figures 
within. Near the top of the stairway are nine platforms, at 
short intervals, each surmounted with three stone statues 
larger than life, representing Old and New Testament charac- 
ters. Upon all the platforms are stone fountains of running 



THE SHRINE OF BON JESUS. 23 

water, engraved with Bible texts, I should add that on the 
first platform, which is at the beginning of the ascent, is a very 
large square stone fountain on which are cut representations 
of the instruments used in the scourging and crucifixion of 
Christ. People may be seen at all times kneeling before the 
chapels, which are always open. This stairway is a remarkable 
construction. Every year several solemn processions ascend 
the mountain by it. 

At the crest of the mountain is the church of Bon Jesus, a 
modern building of large size and beautiful proportions. It 
contains many groups of statuary, and the entire ceiling is 
heavily gilded, on which several sacred scenes are represented 
in raised stucco-work richly colored. The church is built of 
granite from the mountain on which it stands, and many of 
the statues are carved on the spot by Portuguese sculptors, 
who have great skill in stone work, 

Portugal is one of the most beautiful countries in Europe, 
and possesses many noble buildings reared ages ago and ren- 
dered interesting hj history and legend ; the people, also, are 
polite and hospitable. I would gladly linger with you amid its 
lovely scenes, especially at Cintra, near Lisbon, with its palaces 
and villas embowered in foliage near the blue Atlantic, but we 
have yet much to see and must therefore continue our journey 
eastward. 



CHAT III. 



SWITZERLAND— AUSTRIA— NOEWAY. 



The Icy Breath of Mountain Glaciers — The Picturesque 
Costumes of the Tyrol — Ringing Church Bells to Drive 
Away Thunder — Vienna — The Great Circle of a Noble 
Street — Leather and Porcelain— Kisses for the Hand — 
Dazzling Jewels and Splendid Costumes— The Emperor 
Washing the Feet of Twelve Poor Old Men — With 
Golden Tray and Pitcher — Mugs and Florins — In the 
Wine Cellar of Bremen's Town-Hall— How a Bold Doc- 
tor OF Philosophy Pound Himself at the Carousal of the 
Apostles — Bacchus and Dame Rose — A Story of the 
Olden Time— At the North Cape— Where the Sun Rises 
Before it is Fully Set— Hard to Tell When it is Bedtime 
— The Milk-Fog— Visitors After the Flood. 

From the peninsula of Spain and Portugal we will proceed 
in this evening's chat toward the center of Europe, and stop on 
the way for a glance at Switzerland. As we approach its lofty 
mountains we seem to feel its icy breath from the snow-capped 
peaks, and soon the lovely valley of Chamouni, at the foot of 
Mt. Blanc, appears before us resting in fresh verdure and enclosed 
by great glaciers and roaring waterfalls. I remember that I 
could plainly discern from there foot- weary tourists struggling to 
get across the Mer de Glace, the greatest glacier of the Alps, on 
the top of the Montanvert, and others venturing down the rough 
descent called the Mauvais Pas, slipped at every step of the way 
with soft and crumbling soil, and fearing with good reason the 



THE MEETING OF THE WA TERS. 25 

dreaded avalanche of the earth and stones that sometimes 
comes rushing down the sides of the mountain. One of the 
most interesting views of Switzerland is obtained where one 
beholds the union of the Ehine and the Rhone rivers, not far 
from the beautiful city of Geneva, on Lake Geneva in Switzer- 
land. The melting glaciers from the Alpine range of mountains 
are the source of the Rhone river. The waters from the melt- 
ing snow rush down, forming in places roaring torrents which 
carry along stones and loose earth, giving to the waters a muddy 
appearance. These various small streams gradually unite and 
constitute the river Rhone, which at a short distance from its 
source mingles with the clear waters of the Rhine. This junc- 
tion of the two rivers is called the "Meeting of the Waters." 
The two streams run side by side in the same river bed, each 
one maintaining its own characteristic color for several miles, 
and each apparently trying to dominate the other. For a time 
the clear waters retain their own purity, but as a few drops of 
muddy water discolor a glassful, so finally these become clouded 
with the chalky waters of the melting glaciers. At last, how- 
ever, the clear, crystal waters of the Rhine begin to assert their 
power, and in another short distance the stream, which has now 
become a wide river, has taken on a uniform color and flows on 
and on until, after hundreds of miles, it is lost in the North Sea. 
But we are bound still further east this evening and leaving 
the well-known valleys and glittering peaks of Switzerland, 
glance a moment at the wild passes and picturesque people of 
the Tyrol. The Semmering Pass is one of the most remarkable 
openings in the Tyrol mountains. Here I saw bands of Tyrolese 
mountaineers, men and women, attired in the national costume 
which such painters as Debregger have made familiar to many 
who have been unable to visit that charming country. The 
women were dressed in black velvet laced bodices with white 
flowing sleeves, short, bright colored skirts, high top-boots, and 



26 BY LAND AND SEA. 

jaunty white broad-brimmed straw hats trimmed with long, 
flowing scarfs of silks of lively hues or with gilt cord and tas- 
sels. The men wore white home-spun linen trousers, short and 
wide ; long black or blue knitted stockings ; low, heavy shoes 
with large brass buckles ; black velvet tunics confined to the 
waist with gay scarfs, and their black slouch hats wound around 
with black and yellow ribbons. They were strolling musicians 
on their way northward with their Tyrolean airs to give delight 
to the health and pleasure seekers at the various resorts. 

The Tyrolean peasants are a merry, musical, but super- 
stitious race. The mountains are subject to frequent and terrific 
thunder storms during the months of July and August. At the 
first sign of an approaching storm, the great bell of the church 
is rung in the belief that the tempest, if not entirely driven 
away, is greatly lessened by the sound of the church bell. 

From the Tyrol, which is a province of the empire of Aus- 
tria-Hungary, we pass in a few hours by rail to Vienna, the 
capital of the empire. Vienna is a beautiful city ; the archi- 
tecture of its buildings is more imposing than that of Paris. 
There are many magnificent palaces there occupied by the vari- 
ous branches of the royal family. The Eing Strasse, three miles 
in length, which extends around the old city, is the principal 
avenue, and on it are some splendid public buildings, many 
blocks of elegant apartment houses, the Folks Garden, the Stadt 
Park, and other beautiful parks and gardens. There are six 
parallel rows of large chestnut trees along this avenue. There 
is a fine riding track and a carriage-way, two spacious prome- 
nades and the sidewalks. There are also long stretches of 
green lawns with numerous settees beneath the shade of the 
noble trees, and many handsome cafes and attractive flower- 
shops continue around the entire circle of the Ring Strasse. 
This is not only one of the most magnificent, but also one 
of the most enjoyable promenades of Europe. The daily move- 



. HAND-KISSING IN VIENNA. 27 

ment of troops through it adds greatly to the animation it pre- 
sents. 

Vienna is celebrated for its beautiful leather- work. Leather 
is wrought there in every conceivable way and manufactured 
into countless useful and ornamental articles. Excellent imita- 
tions of metals and fabrics are also made of leather. Nowhere 
else in Europe are such large collections of glass and porcelain 
ware to be found as at Vienna. Bohemian glass and Hungarian 
porcelain are highly prized in all parts of the world. Besides 
the wares which are particularly Viennese, one may also find 
there the finest specimens of the famous wares of Sevres. 

One who shops in Vienna finds a complimentary greeting in 
vogue which I have not seen practiced elsewhere. As one enters 
the shopkeeper exclaims, "Kuss der hand," or, "I kiss your 
hand," and he repeats the same as one leaves. The servants 
also use the same expression when they come into the presence 
of the master or mistress of the house. Before retiring to their 
rooms at night they again observe this salutation. Hand-kiss- 
ing in the morning is never forgotten. The coachman gets 
down from the box of the carriage to kiss the hand of the mas- 
ter, adding a hopeful word about the weather if it be dark or 
rainy. The collecting boy has the same hand-kissing salutation 
when he is paid a bill at the door, and the house-servants never 
forget it when they receive their monthl}^ wages. The kellvers, 
or waiters, at the restaurants always have a polite salutation 
for those frequenting them. Indeed, as soon as you enter Vienna 
you become aware that it is a place of extraordinary civilities. 

The various nationalities of which the empire is composed 
add greatly to the pubhc spectacles at Vienna. I have never seen 
such magnificent toilets, such profusion of jewels, as are seen 
at Austria's capital on festal occasions. The Polish, Bohemian, 
Croatian and Hungarian costumes of the government officials 
are retained in all their splendor of color and decoration, Many 



28 BY LAND AND SEA. 

of the family jewels of the Viennese are of almost priceless 
value. They are often heirlooms inherited from several genera- 
tions back. 

There is a curious old religious custom continued at Vienna 
called the "ceremony of the foot- washing." His Majesty, the 
Emperor Francis Joseph, has performed the rite for no less than 
thirty years. The foot- washing is done in the presence of the 
court and nobility, and is attended with as much pomp as any 
court ceremonial. Only Austria and Spain now continue this 
ceremony, which was instituted by the Church in order to teach 
kings humiliation and their subjection to the Church. The rite 
takes place in Holy Week, and consists of the emperor pouring 
a little water over the right foot of twelve old men, in imitation 
of the example of Christ. 

When I witnessed this curious and interesting scene the 
ceremony took place at eleven o'clock in the morning in the 
grand hall of ceremonies at the imperial palace. A long table 
at which the twelve old men were to sit was near the entrance 
and as handsomely laid as for dinner. The emperor was as- 
sisted by the crown prince and several arch-dukes. The old 
people are selected from the poorest class, and of that class the 
oldest are chosen. On this occasion the oldest man was ninety- 
three years old, two w^ere ninety-two, and five were eighty-eight 
years of age ; the others were younger. They were dressed in 
a plain black costume of the seventeenth century, and wore 
black silk stockings, and wide, turn-down white collars. They 
were led into the room by their relatives and friends, and were 
seated by the court officials, the oldest having the head of the 
table, and each one having the attendance of a special officer, 
the relatives and friends standing behind them. The table was 
strewn with rose leaves, and beneath it were placed brown 
linen cushions for the feet of the old men to rest upon. 

At each plate were a loaf of bread, a napkin, knife, wooden 



CEREMONY OF THE FOOT-WASHING. 29 

spoon and fork, a wooden vase filled with flowers, a large white 
metal mug of wine, and a wooden tankard of beer. The Em- 
peror, in full uniform-, came accompanied by officers of his court 
and assistants, and took his place at the head of the table ; then 
followed twelve officials of the palace, in scarlet and gold uni- 
form, bearing black trays, each containing four dishes of viands, 
and took their places opposite the old men, who sat along one 
side of the table. The Emperor cleared the first tray and placed 
its dishes upon the table before the old man who had the seat of 
honor. The Crown Prince stood next and served the next old 
man in turn ; and thus each of the old men was served by a 
grand-duke or some member of the nobihty. After the trays 
were emptied, which was quickly done, the palace guard in full 
uniform and wearing their high bear-skin hats, entered, bearing 
trays, on each of which were also four dishes, which were placed 
before the old men, as were those of the first course, and the 
third course quickly followed the second. The fourth and last 
course was the dessert, which included one dozen fine apples, 
a large piece of cheese, a dish of sweets and a plate of shelled 
almonds. 

When the dinner was ended, although not a morsel had 
been eaten, the table was taken away, and each old man in turn 
presented his right foot, which in the meantime had been bared 
by an attending friend. Then a large golden tray, a golden 
pitcher and a large napkin were brought and the Emperor knelt 
upon one knee and poured a little water over the old man's foot 
and wiped it, and in the same way he washed and wiped one 
foot of each of the twelve old men. He did not rise to an up- 
right position until he had completed the washing, moving along 
the row of men upon one knee. The Emperor then rose from 
his kneeling posture, and the Grand Chamberlain poured water 
over his hands, which the Emperor wiped with a dry napkin, 
and the ceremony was finished. Then a court official brought 



30 BY LAND AND SEA. 

in a large black tray with twelve small bags, a long cord being 
attached to each bag, which contained thirty silver florins. The 
Emperor hung a bag upon the neck of each of the old men. 
This being done, his majesty left the hall. 

During the ceremony a chief priest, with twenty assistants, 
intoned a service and recitations from the gospels, describing the 
washing of the feet of the disciples by Christ. The ceremony 
lasted half an hour. All the articles of food and the plates 
placed before the old men, together with the foot cushions, were 
packed into baskets and sent to their homes. The tankards and 
mugs bore appropriate inscriptions with the date of the cere- 
mony. The recipients are permitted to sell their mugs and 
tankards. The mugs are sold for twenty florins, the tankards 
for less. Each old man was escorted from the hall by a court 
official and a friend. The entire ceremony was conducted with 
great solemnity. 

I call to mind here a story of the knights of olden times in 
Germany, told me in the German language, and which I hope 
may interest you as much as it did me, even if I give but an 
imperfect translation of it. 

American tourists who visit the north of Germany are 
pretty sure to go to Bremen, and one of the interesting points to 
visit there is the wine cellar of the Rathhaus, or town-hall. A 
German guide offered his services to conduct me through this 
famous old place, and during the visit of inspection related one 
of the Rathhaus Keller romances. Somewhere among Shakes- 
peare's sayings the following remark may be found : " Good 
wine is a good and sociable thing, and everybody can afford for 
once to allow himself to be inspired by it." My guide probably 
had heard of this approval of good wine as expressed by the 
renowned English poet and dramatist, which without doubt 
brought to his mind the legend related. "The story has been 
handed down," said the guide, "as it has been told by the hero 



A STORY OF A BREMEN WINE-CELLAR. 31 

himself, who was a young student from Leipsig ; it runs as fol- 
lows : 

"It was after ten o'clock in the evening when I presented 
myself at the door of this famous wine-cellar. 'A late hour for 
admittance to this place,' said the porter at the door, 'for it is 
about our closing-up time.' However, observing the name of 
the manager of the wine-rooms on the card giving me permis- 
sion to enter at that hour, he hesitatingly opened the door a 
little wider and I went in, remarking in the meantime, ' For 
me it is never late before twelve o'clock, and after that hour it 
is early enough in the day for anybody.' The porter asked if I 
expected any company. I replied, 'No;' and selecting one of 
the small arched booths of the underground rooms, I laid my hat 
and cane upon the table, with the intention of carrying out the 
proposition made to myself to have a little carousal all alone. 
With a permit in my pocket from one of the senators I had the 
right to drink a glass from the wine in the Twelve Apostles' cel- 
lar, a glass in the Bacchus cellar, and a glass of wine in the Rose 
cellar. I asked to be conducted at the porter's earliest conveni- 
ence to the Bacchus cellar. To this the porter replied ' No, that 
is impossible.' Said he, ' To day is the first of September, Dame 
Rose's anniversary. To-night the Twelve Apostles, Bacchus 
and Dame Rose come down from their stony seats and hold high 
carnival from midnight till the dawn of day. No man would 
presume to remain here after midnight.' 

"I laughed at the good man's superstition, and replied that 
I had heard of various ghost-stories, but had never heard of 
wine ghosts. Then I peremptorily said : ' Look again at the 
senator's permit ; in the name of the Council of Bremen, I com- 
mand you to open the Bacchus cellar.' We went slowly through 
several large and dark cellars, with only the light of a lan- 
tern to guide us, and at last reached the inner cellar, where a 
wooden figure of Bacchus sat astride of an immense wine-cask. 



32 BY LAND AND SEA. 

' Good heavens ! ' cried the porter, ' do n't you see how the old 
fellow rolls his eyes and shakes his feet ? He is getting ready 
to come down now\ Let us be off.' ' Why, man, it is only the 
shadow of our flickering light that gives you this impression,' 
said I. However, we left the cellar, and the porter locked the 
big oak door with a nervous quickness, but not until I had drank 
a glass of the old Bacchus wine drawn from the sample barrel. 
'Here, old porter, take a glass at my expense,' said I, 'it will 
give you a little courage.' 'God preserve me from drinking a 
drop of it this night ! ' he exclaimed. 

"We wandered on a little farther by the dim light of our 
lantern and came to the Apostles' cellar. The rusty lock of the 
heavy door gave an unearthly grating sound as the key slowly 
turned in it ; the door opened, creaking on its heavy hinges, and 
there stood the statues of the twelve Apostles in their garb of 
hewn-out stone, high up in the niches in the wall, and beneath 
them twelve great casks of wine. ' I must have a glass of wine 
from this cellar to drink the health of these antiques,' said I. 
The porter fairly trembled at my light remark, and replied, 
' Good sir, do n't you know that you are tempting the devil ? 
This is the night when all the wine ghosts come down from their 
places to have their yearly carousal. It is now nearly midnight. 
I have never known of a man staying here on the first of Sep- 
tember until the stroke of midnight. I must go, and I cannot 
answer for your safety if you persist in remaining much longer.' 
' But you cannot go until you have taken me to the Rose cellar,' 
I exclaimed. We passed quickly on and came to the &uh Rosa 
cellar. ' What a monster cask of wine, and every glass of it is 
worth a gold piece I ' I said. I read ujDon it the date of 1615. 
'Fill me a glass from the sample barrel quickly. I must drink 
old Dame Rose's health before the clock strikes twelve, and then, 
good porter, you can go, and I will stay in the Rose cellar for a 
little time.' 'Oh, no ! that is utterly impossible ; I should lose 



ADVENl^URE IN A WINE-CELLAR. 38 

my place were I to leave the door unlocked,' declared the old 
man. 

" I followed in the wake of the dim light and went back to 
the place where I had left my hat and cane. ' But before you 
go, good man,' said I, 'give me a couple of bottles of the vint- 
age of 1718,' He did as I requested, saying, ' I cannot leave you 
all night alone in the cellar ; you will be frightened to death 
with the doings among the ghosts.' ' But you know I have per- 
mission to remain here all night, and I intend to stay. So good 
night, my friend, and don't worry any more about me. Lock 
the door of the outer room and take the key with you, and I 
will draw the inside bolt on the door of this room. I want no 
intruders to-night. Leave me a half dozen candles ; and I 
want nothing more.' He complied and then went hesitatingly 
toward the door, opened and closed it slowly, remaining inside 
apparently to give me time to change my intentions if I wished 
to do so. But I was immovable in my purpose. At last he went 
out, leisurely locking the street door, and then calling to me 
from outside he said : ' My friend. I am sure I shall find you 
dead from fright when I return at six o'clock in. the morning.' 

"I examined my quarters carefully and found no other door 
than the one through which I had entered, and upon the table 
were two bottles of real Johannes wine marked 1718. 

' ' I heard the cathedral clock strike twelve, and I had already 
drank my sixth glass of wine, when the thought occurred to me 
that there is a time when wine will go to one's head, and I 
was just wondering whether I should be able to finish my two 
bottles when I fancied that I heard a heavy door slowly opening 
on its creaking hinges, and in another moment I was sure I 
heard the echoing sound of the heavy tread of footsteps. I 
remembered that the outside door was locked and that the porter 
had taken the key with him, and I knew the door of the room 
in which I was, was also locked, and besides I had drawn the 



34 B V LAND AND SEA. 

bolt inside. So I quieted myself with the thought that there 
would be no admittance, under any circumstances, to the room 
this night. 

"At this moment, and to my utter astonishment, the door 
opened without being unlocked or unbolted, and I saw two men 
standing in the door- way dressed in antique costume, saluting 
each other. They advanced slowly into the room, and taking 
off their swords and hats, hung them on large hooks on the wall. 
They then seated themselves at the table where I was, appar- 
ently not observing my presence. I was about to speak and 
make myself known, when four more unbidden guests entered 
the open door, saying, ' Grood morning, gentlemen of the Rhine. 
Where is the old servant Johannes ? Is he still sleeping at his 
post ?' ' Yes, he is in the church-yard fast asleep. I'll just ring 
him up,' said the man nearest me, who, taking up a huge bell, 
rang it long and loud. The summons was quickly answered by 
a hollow-eyed old man, who appeared at the door, yawning and 
rubbing his eyes, having a large basket tilled with bottles on his 
arm. ' Hallo, old Johannes, you are a sluggard this time ; step 
along a Httle more lively,' said the man who had rung the bell. 
The old servant — for it was he who answered the summons of 
the bell — replied that he had forgotten that it was the first of 
September ; that since they had paved the church-yard anew he 
did not hear so well as formerly what was going on over his 
head. ' But,' said he, ' where are the rest of you ? You are only 
six, and old Dame Rose is not here yet.' 'Well,' said the one 
they called Judas, ' put down the bottles ; we must wet our lips ; 
give us the glasses and then go over there, ' pointing to the door, 
' and call up the rest of your number, who are still sleeping in 
the wine-casks.' 

' ' At this moment a great commotion was heard outside the 
door, and old Johannes cried out, ' Here come Dame Rose and 
her lover, the jolly old Bacchus.' What a sight ! There was 



WINE-CELLAR ADVENTURES. 35 

the wooden Bacchus, and the mammoth cask of wine that I had 
seen in the Rose Cellar and which they called Dame Rose, fol- 
lowed closely by four lively old fellows swinging cocked hats in 
their hands. 'At last, we are all here,' said one of the party of 
stone statues, 'and as for Dame Rose, she looks just as she. did 
fifty years ago. But how is this ? We are thirteen at the table. 
Who is the stranger among us ? How happens it that he is 
here ?' 

" Aware that I was an unbidden guest among them, I at 
once briefly explained my presence. I said that I was simply a 
Doctor of Philosophy from Leipsig, and that at present I was 
living at the Hotel Frankfurt, in Bremen. ' But what brought 
you here on this particular night, good sir ? ' inquired another. 
' You know that you do not belong to the noble society of two 
hundred years ago?' 'Of that,' I replied, 'I am perfectly well 
aware, for I did not live two hundred years ago. But your 
noble selves have come to me to-night ; I did not make the tres- 
pass upon you. When I came here I found no company. The 
good old porter of the Rathhaus Keller locked the door and took 
the key with him! 'Tell me,' asked Bacchus, 'what are you 
doing in the Rathhaus Keller at this late hour of the night ? 
The world's people in Bremen are never out of their homes at 
midnight.' 'Your excellency,' said I, ' there is good reason for 
my being here at this time. I am a friend of good old Rhine 
wine, and have obtained permission from one of the noble sena- 
tors of Bremen to come here and get some to my taste. I have 
chosen this night, because I have read some very interesting 
accounts about the carousals held here on the night of the first 
of September by some of the distinguished men of the olden 
times, and I desired to make some scientific observations.' 'Ha ! 
ha ! ' laughed Bacchus, ' that is well enough ; you shall have a 
little dance with us to-night.' 

"I now began to look around me, and to observe the com- 



36 B V LAND AND SEA. 

pany. There were some of the stone statues of the twelve 
apostles I had seen stauding in their niches as I passed through 
the Apostles' cellar ; Bacchus in his wooden body, and Dame 
Rose, her body a great wine-cask, was standing upon two tiny 
little feet near by, her coquettish face peeping out from the 
upper end of the cask, with the copper rose of the Sub-Rosa 
cellar hanging on the front of it. All were in a jolly mood. 
They laughed and talked with each other in unearthly tones. 
I judged from their conversation that they were accustomed to 
have a reunion every year, and that they had been meeting 
together in this way for a hundred years or more. 

' ' They told stories over their glasses of wine — kept con- 
tinually replenished by the old servant Johannes. The stories 
related by them referred to historic and social events of their 
times. One of the ghosts told how some of the old Bremen 
families used to come to the Rathhaus Keller at five o'clock in 
the forenoon, grandmothers, wives and children included, and 
remain until eight o'clock in the evening, at which time the 
cellar was always closed. 'Yes,' said Dame Rose, 'those were 
good old times, when we drunk only pure Rhine wines ; we 
did n't have this miserable stuff now called tea and coffee, and 
such beverages as are drunk now -a-days. ' 

"The carousal was waxing more lively, when suddenly a 
new apparition made its appearance. All voices were hushed. 
Even Bacchus turned pale. The intruder took a seat by me. I 
whispered to a ghost close by me and asked who this last comer 
was. He replied, ' Do n't you see, it is the devil himself ! He 
always comes in at our anniversary meetings and attempts 
to disturb us.' A glass of wine was set before him and he 
remained quiet. 

"After several old-time songs had been sung at the request 
of Dame Rose, she winked at me and said, ' Now, doctor, it is 
your turn ; as this is your first appearance among us, you must 



BACCHUS LEADS A DANCE. 37 

give us a song which never has been sung before.' I attempted 
to excuse myself on the ground that I could neither sing nor 
make verse. 'No excuses are accepted here,' she blandly 
replied. ' You have come unbidden to us to-night, and you must 
join in our exercises. Come, sir, we are waiting for you.' 
Tremblingly I arose, and by some happy inspiration the follow- 
ing words were put into my mouth : 

" On the beautiful Rhine, where grows our vine, 
There grows our golden, luscious wine ; 
Yonder it grows on our German coast. 
And gives us all the never-dying toast, 
Rhine wine, Rhine wine, 
Always in tune and in time." 

"The ghostly company laughed heartily, and Bacchus 
exclaimed, ' What a noble addition the doctor will be to our 
choice spirits ! We all hope he may join our merry circle soon.' 
In my soul I could not agree with him, for I had not yet seen 
enough of life. But under the circumstances I did not wish to 
discuss the subject. 

" They now commenced to arrange for a dance. Bacchus 
v/as the leader of the party. He called to me and said : ' Of 
course, doctor, you know music. We shall depend on you for 
this occasion. Get upon that cask of wine and beat the drum 
for our dance.' I obeyed. A step-ladder was necessary to aid 
me in reaching the top of the large wine cask. When seated, 
my head just touched the timbers of the vaulted roof. All was 
proceeding well, when suddenly I saw the heavy beams over 
my head part, and I with my drum flew like an arrow out into 
the open air. I said to myself, ' Good-bye, good-bye to this life ; 
these accursed ghosts have entered my name in their death- 
book.' 

" The first sensation I experienced afterward was the touch 
of the Rathhaus Keller porter on my shoulder. Hearing his 



38 BY LAND AND SEA. 

morning salutation and inquiry respecting my welfare, I began 
to rub my eyes and look about me, and getting up on my feet, 
I found that I had become intoxicated, and had fallen from the 
bench upon the stone floor. As there was no evidence of my 
having had company in the night, I concluded that my solitary 
carousal was only a dream. But I could not convince myself 
that the strone statues had not actually come down from their 
places — so strong was the impression on my mind that the 
night's adventure vv^as a reality — until I made the round of all 
the cellars I had visited the evening before, and saw for myself 
that the stone figures were all in their places." 

From Bremen I proceeded to Norway across the Baltic sea. 
The scenery of this most northern country in Europe is highly 
romantic and beautiful ; the shores are steep and rocky, broken 
by deep, narrow bays and straits, called fiords. But what most 
interested me, and I doubt not would interest you as well, is 
the view of the midnight sun from the North Cape. It is a 
most wonderful spectacle to see the sun just dipping its lower 
edge for a moment behind the horizon in the west and then 
coming almost immediately to view again on the other side in 
the east, rising even before it has fully set. This phenomenon 
is caused by the fact that the earth's circle from east to west 
is so short that the sun is visible the greater part of the time. 

The North Cape is the most northern point on the Continent 
of Europe ; until within a few years it was scarcely known to 
the general European tourist. It is a precipitous rock rising out 
of the sea to a height of twelve hundred feet. 

A German friend who has been twice to the North Cape 
sa3''S no more wonderful journey can be made than the one from 
Trondhjem to the Cape. He was fourteen days in making the 
excursion, without once seeing the darkness of night during all 
that time. His disposition to sleep seemed to have disappeared 
with the night, he said, and it was only when the body and 



LEGEND OF THE FLOOD. H9 

mind became really fatigued that lie was able to fall asleep. 
Not far from the Cape is a natural tunnel through the entire 
mountain. In passing that point the ship was stopped, and one 
could look through the tunnel and plainly see the water on the 
opposite side of the Cape. A peculiar fog settles over this point, 
called the milk-fog, because of its opaqueness and milk color. 

The long winter of the northern regions follows almost sud- 
denly on the disappearance of the sunlight, but the absence of 
solar light is compensated for in a measure by the frequent 
appearance of the aurora horealis, or northern lights, which give 
light enough to allow the ordinary avocations of life to be car- 
ried on without artificial illumination. 

This is an interesting subject for a more thorough study. 

In passing, I would say that I remember to have heard that 
one of the early Swedish historians claims that after the deluge 
Sweden was the first country to be inhabited west of the Medi- 
terranean Sea. The historian records that Magog, son of Japh- 
eth, with a few followers, came to Gothland, in Sweden, eighty- 
eight years after the flood and established a permanent settle- 
ment, and that two hundred and twenty-six years thereafter a 
direct descendant of that colony commenced the building of the 
city of Upsal. We might ask ourselves why did Magog and his 
followers forsake the blue skies and balmy air of a southern cli- 
mate for the deep snows and biting frosts of an inhospitable 
one ! 

But as not a trace of this ancient city is left upon which to 
build a description, we can only consider the story as an amus- 
ing legend. 



CHAT IV. 



GREECE— ATHENS. 



Ancient Greeks whose Names and Deeds are still Cherished 
— A Nation that Hundreds of Years of Subjection could 
NOT Destroy — Building out of Ruins — Americans who 
Taught the Children of Greece —A Monument more En- 
during THAN THE PARTHENON — WhERE THE TeMPLE StONES 

were Quarried — The Preacher on Mars's Hill — Mountains 
AND Houses of Marble — The Salt of Friendship — The 
Bride's Dower- Chest — A Mountainous Weather- Prophet 
—The English General and his Wife's Letter — A Weekly 
Epistle for Thirty Years — At Last too Late— Christ- 
mas AND New Year's Twice in Twelve Days— The Story 
of the Labyrinth — The Galley with the Black Sails— ^ 
A Brave Prince and a Slain Monster — Digging Down to 
the Old City of Troy. 

Leaving the north of Europe for the south of the Continent, 
our chat this evening is about Athens, the capital of Greece, one 
of the oldest as well as the most widely celebrated cities in the 
world. 

Something is known of the classic antiquity of Athens the 
world over ; and without doubt, ancient Athens was the birth- 
place of modern civilization. It was the home of classic and 
philosophic lore. Plato, Socrates, Demosthenes, Solon, Plutarch, 
Pericles, and many other celebrated philosophers, poets and 
statesmen of Greece established by their teachings and example 
the public opinion and laws which gave such power to the 



BIR THPLA CE OF MODERN CI VI LIZA TION. 4 1 

genius of the Grreeks and made them the greatest in intellectual 
influence the world has yet seen. Among those noble men 
there was one Diogenes, who adopted a peculiarly original 
method for teaching the principle of truth. For example, he 
went about the city one day with a lighted lantern in his hand, 
and when asked for an explanation, he replied he was seeking 
to find an honest man. 

Many of the philosophical maxims taught by those wise men 
of Greece have come down through generations until they have 
reached even to our own times, and apply to the present age as 
well as to the days of ancient Greece. The Greeks are a noble 
race, and they have good reason to be proud. 

Although Greece had groaned under the domination of the 
Turks for more than four hundred years, the nation did not lose 
its identity. The Turks and Greeks never intermarried, nor do 
they intermarry in these days. They have no more common 
cause in life now than they had then. It is only within the 
last sixty years that Greece has freed herself from the yoke of 
the Ottoman power. 

At last, in the year 1827, when the diminished and impover- 
ished Grecian Empire was able to raise once more its banner of 
freedom, they found their once beautiful Athens, the queen city 
of the Mediterranean, in ruins, with scarcely a score of good 
buildings remaining. 

It was three years after this time that the late Dr. J. J. 
Robertson and the late Rev. Dr. John H. Hill with his wife went 
to Athens with the intention of devoting themselves to mission- 
ary work. Dr. and Mrs. Hill h^d already been at work in 
Smyrna, Asia Minor, for a short time in behalf of Christian edu- 
cation for the benefit of the Greeks and Armenians living there, 
but they saw a larger field for their labors in Greece. On their 
arrival in Athens they found only about twenty houses stand- 
ing, not one of which was really comfortable for a home. How- 



42 BY LAND AND SEA. 

ever, they were permitted by the newly-estabhshed Greek gov- 
ernment to open a school for Httle girls in their own small house. 
This was done principally by the aid of Mrs. Emma Willard of 
Troy, New York, who, from the beginning of the independence 
of the Greeks, took an earnest interest in the work of primary 
education among the children, and was the first person to give 
a helping hand to that object. At the urgent request of Mrs. 
Willard a small, sum of money was raised in Troy, I think 
among the Episcopal churches only, and sent to the Rev. Messrs. 
Hill and Robertson, for the purpose of establishing a small school 
for girls. 

The school work commenced under many embarrassments ; 
but as the population became more settled, the school increased 
in numbers, and during the last years of Dr. Hill's life it num- 
bered over six hundred pupils, both boys and girls. 

Dr. Hill was ordained minister in the Episcopal church in 
the year 1S30 ; he was already forty years of age. Soon there- 
after with his wife he left America to go to the Orient with the 
intention of devoting themselves to the missionary service. 
They worked for their beloved cause in Greece more than fifty- 
two years. Dr. Hill died at his post of service in 1882, and Mrs, 
Hill followed her loving husband to her long rest a few years 
later. They were the first missionaries sent by the Episcopal 
church to foreign lands. 

The following words addressed to Mrs. Hill by a Greek 
statesman express the approval of her work among the Greeks 
and the high esteem in which she was held : "Lady, you are 
erecting in Athens a monument more enduring and more noble 
than yonder temple," pointing to the Parthenon as he spoke. 
And they were prophetic words. 

Dr. and Mrs. Hill did not go to an idolatrous people to begin 
their life-work. The Greeks had long years before come out 
from the darkness of paganism. They had a national Christian 



DR. JOHN H. AND MRS. HILL. 43 

church ; they had the bible, the ministry, the sacraments, and 
the Hturgy, which they had maintained through the hundreds 
of years of their subjection to the Turks ; but while they were 
heroes in courage they were weak in numbers and in destitute 
condition, and had fallen into some superstitions. They gladly, 
however, accepted the material aid which came from the Ameri- 
can missionary society, and the educational advantages per- 
sonally offered by Dr. and Mrs. Hill. 

Dr. Hill's system of instruction was approved by many of 
the Greeks, and some of the leading families sent children to 
the school. It can be said that large numbers of the repre- 
sentative men and women of Athens, and of the neighboring 
islands, who have come into public life during the last twenty- 
five years, received their primary education in this American 
Missionary School, and in many cases in the schools established 
some years later by other devoted and useful American mission- 
aries of the Congregationalists and Baptists, all equally anxious 
to aid the progress of Greece. 

Dr. and Mrs. Hill passed sixty-one years together, side by 
side, in their life work. 

The ancient Greek temples, whose ruins are still standing, 
many in a fair state of preservation, were built three to seven 
hundred years B. C, and even in their ruins may be seen evi- 
dences of magnificent marble structures. The quarries on Mount 
Pentelicus, from which the marble was obtained for the wonder- 
ful edifices, remain as they were left by the ancients. The 
quarry which furnished the marble for the Parthenon, the most 
famous temple of all time and dedicated to the goddess Minerva, 
is still to be seen. Even a section or drum of one of the col- 
umns, apparently discarded on account of some flaw in the 
marble, remains there half embedded in the earth a little way 
down the mountain. 

St. Pa,ul was the first teacher of Christianity in Athens ; an(J 



44 B Y LAND AND SEA. 

one of the most interesting places in the city to visit is the Are- 
opagus, or in English Mars's Hill, this appellation having been 
given it, according to the traditional account, because the god 
Mars was the first person tried by a court of justice upon this 
hill. 

In Acts XVII. mention is made of St. Paul preaching to the 
curious and superstitious Athenians. The populace of Athens, 
who went daily to the Agora, or market place, which was near 
the foot of Mars's Hill, to learn the news of the day, heard that 
a strange man had come among them who pretended to have a 
new doctrine of religion, and that he had asked permission of 
the city authorities to speak to the people from Mars's Hill, the 
place where all pubUc speaking was done. 

When the crowd had assembled the apostle said that he had 
observed altars erecied to Fame, Modesty, Energy, Persuasion 
and Piety, and that he had also seen an altar dedicated to the 
unknown Grod at a point near the sea, and this altar he wished 
to dedicate ane^v to the Grod he came to preach. Thus St. Paul 
sowed the first seed of Christianity among the Greeks, which 
indeed did take root and has given forth a great harvest. 

The Athens of to-day is a beautiful and growing city ; it 
has more marble buildings in proportion to its size than any 
other city in Europe. It has mountains of marble at its very 
doors. 

The Greeks are a very social people and hospitably inclined. 
Among their many agreeable domestic customs is that of offer- 
ing salt to a guest immediately after sitting down to a meal ; its 
acceptance gives proof of true friendship. 

Another very good as well as a practical custom is that of 
providing the marriage portion for a daughter. The collection 
of a maiden's dower is begun while she is a child, as was cus- 
tomary with the Greeks in ancient times. The Greek maidens 
of all classes, even to the poorest peasant's daughter, are sure 



GIRLS' MARRIAGE DOWERS. 45 

to have a marriage dower. Among the lower classes and the 
peasantry it is effected in this wise. As soon as the little girl 
is beyond the dangers of infancy, the prudent mother buys a 
wooden box, which is painted red and yellow and bears the 
name of the child upon it ; it may be large or small, according to 
circumstances ; in this box the god- mother's gift is placed and 
any others that may be bestowed on the occasion of the child's 
birth. On every succeeding birth-day anniversary, some use- 
ful articles contributed by parents or friends are added to the 
contents of the box in the name of the little girl ; it may be a 
gold or silver coin, a silver spoon, or a small piece of linen made 
by the mother or grandmother. These contributions to the 
dower box are carefully treasured until the girl marries, when 
the well-filled chest is given to the bride. 

The scenery about Athens is mountainous, very picturesque 
and beautiful. Mts. Pentelicus, Parnes and Hymettus are 
famous. 

The Athenians have a very significant little rhyme velat- 
ing to the latter mountain, which serves them as a weather 
prophecy ; it runs as follows : 

" Old Hymettus, Hymettus, 

You'll surely wet us, 

When the clouds come down 

To weave you a crown." 

An affecting incident and also a very interesting chapter in 
the experience and devotion of a husband and wife, showing 
the maintenance of conjugal affection by correspondence for 
a long period of years, may not be inappropriate to relate at 
this time. The closing scene of this story occurred while the 
writer was a temporary resident in Athens. 

During the latter part of the struggle of the Greeks for inde- 
dependence against the Turkish domination, an English general 
volunteered to go to the aid of the oppressed people. At the end 



46 BY LAND AND SEA. 

of the war the English general had so ardently espoused the 
Greek cause that he continued to remain in the country and to 
render such aid to the newly-formed government as he might be 
able to give. Accordingly, he sent for his wife, who was in 
England, to come to the more genial climate of the plains of 
Attica. 

In due time Lady went to Athens. After two or three 

years' residence there, she became somewhat discontented with 
the unsettled and half -formed social situation at the new capital 
and decided to return to England for a few months' visit. This 
she did unattended b}^ the general, as the military situation at 
that time required his constant ser^dce, and it was not conveni- 
ent for him to leave his post. So the good lady packed up her 
boxes and bundles and went home, with the intention of return- 
ing the following year. 

Months passed on and Lady did not find the occasion 

to go back to Athens, always hoping that the general would 
seek a leave of absence after his many years of active service in 
a foreign military life, and go to England, when she would with 
pleasure return with him. 

Years rolled on, and the devoted couple were growing old 
separated far from each other. They had not met since the day 
of the good lady's departure from Athens. The weekly letter, 
continued by this time for a period of nearly thirty years be- 
tween the two, had never been intermitted. 

At last the general was laid low on his death-bed. He had 
reached the age of one hundred years, of which fifty had been 
devoted to service in Greece. On the last day of his life, it 

chanced that the usual weekly epistle came from Lady , 

which was shown to the dying man by his valet. The general 
asked, ''From whom couies the letter?" The answer was, 

"From Lady .'' To which he replied, "Too late, too late," 

and soon he w^as no more, 



BRA VER V OF AN ANCIENT KING. 47 

The Greeks maintain the ancient form of reckoning the 
days of the month. There is a difference by twelve days be- 
tween the old and new system of counting time. Foreigners 
residing in Greece must familiarize themselves with the differ- 
ence of date, else untold embarrassments may occur. Conse- 
quently Christmas and New Year's days — they being the prin- 
cipal holidays celebrated in common^are repeated. Two Christ- 
mas days and two New Year's, — f<jur holidays within twenty 
days ! 

As one may easily suppose, Athens abounds with historic 
spots and is rich beyond almost any other place in the memory 
of great events and numerous legends and traditions. One of 
the most interesting is the legend of the good heart and the 
bravery of Theseus, one of the kings of ancient Athens. It runs 
as follows : Minos, King of the Island of Crete, opened a war- 
fare on the Athenians, because, as was alleged, his son had been 
betrayed and killed while on a visit to Athens. At the earnest 
entreaty of Minos, the gods brought upon the plain of Attica all 
kinds of plagues, sickness among the people, sterility of the 
lands, and terrible drought. 

At last by the oracle of Apollo it was announced to the 
Athenians that the anger of the gods could only be appeased by 
making peace with Minos. Accordingly messengers from Ath- 
ens were sent to him to sue for mercy and peace. King Minos 
consented to cease warring with the Athenians on the condition 
that they should pay him a yearly tribute of seven maidens of 
tender age. 

The condition was accepted, the warfare ceased, and the 
plain of Attica blossomed into prosperity again. These young 
people, according to the tradition, were sent to the Island of 
Crete and there placed in a dreadful enclosure called the Laby- 
rinth, which was a prison of dark and endless corridors, where 
lived the fabulous monster called the Minotaur. As the impris- 



4S BY LAND AND SEA. 

oned ones never found their way out, it was supposed that 
they were devoured by the Minotaur. 

The time arrived for paying the tribute for the third year. 
Theseus, son of ^geus, King of Athens, by this time had come 
to young manhood, and would soon, by virtue of his parentage, 
be among the aspirants for the throne of Athens. He bethought 
himself of a means to satisfy Minos without permitting this 
dreadful human sacrifice. 

The doomed ones were chosen by lot. What parent could 
of his own free choice consent to give up a beloved child 
to such a fate I Theseus begged the privilege of being one 
of the victims, in the hope of finding some way to slay the 
Minotaur. 

Theseus begged ^geus, his father, and friends not to be 
disconsolate, assuring them that he would come back and bring 
the full number of his companions with him. The ship bearing 
the victims departed as usual with black sails, but Theseus 
promised that if he returned victorious he would hoist white 
sails as a signal of triumph. 

The day arrived for the departure of this dreadful sacrifice. 
Theseus took his little band of thirteen unhappy young creatures 
to a temple on the beach and offered the god Apollo a branch of 
an olive tree with fourteen bands of white linen upon it. When 
he had finished his prayer, they went directly to the sea and 
embarked upon the vessel. The litttle galley was made ready 
at once, and went out of port carrying the black sail. 

When they arrived at Crete, Aiiadne, daughter of Minos, 
was on the shore w^atching the coming of the Athenian bark 
with the doomed youth on board. Smitten by the bravery and 
beauty of the young Greek, she fell in love with him and wished 
to save him from the dreadful fate before him. She gave him 
a ball of white hnen thi-ead as a clue and told him where to place 
it on going into the Labyiinth, and how to let it follow him, and 



DR. AND MRS. SCHLIEMANN. 49 

if he succeeded in overcoming the Minotaur he would be able to 
retrace his steps and thus find his way out. 

Theseus with his young companions entered the Labyrinth 
and after winding about its gloomy mazes encountered the fero- 
cious monster. After a severe contest the Minotaur was over- 
come and killed by the valor of Theseus, and the brave youth 
with the group of maidens, following the unwound thread, 
retraced their way and came out of the Labyrinthian prison 
unharmed. 

They returned at once to their vessel, and embarked, setting 
sail for Athens. As they approached home, Theseus forgot to 
raise the white sail, and the old father, ^geus, who had been 
watching from the headland of Suniura with an aching heart 
for the return of the little bark, espied it in the distance with 
the black sail. Supposing his son had been killed, and not 
being able to bear the torture of grief, he threw himself into the 
sea and was drowned. Hence the name of the ^gean sea. 

The vessel came into port ; but Theseus looked anxiously in 
vain among the eager crowd for his father, -^geus being dead 
Theseus became king of Athens, and proved a good and power- 
ful ruler. 

One of the most remarkable men now living at Athens is 
Dr. Schliemann. All who are interested in the great legend of 
the Trojan and the beautiful poem of Homer called the Iliad, 
describing the siege of Troy, must be attracted by the name of 
this enthusiastic searcher among the ruins of ancient times. Dr. 
Schliemann, a German by birth, but an American citizen from 
preference, and a Greek by adoption, after many years of hard 
work in making excavations on the site of ancient Troy — at his 
own expense — and pubUshing the results of his labors, has so 
clearly demonstrated the reality of the events described and the 
characters of the Iliad that he has brought them to oui' very 
doors, as it w^ere, and made the pre -historic times appear as if of 



oO BY LAND AND SEA. 

our day. Even the young student may read Dr. Schliemann's 
works with great interest. 

Mi's. Schliemann, an Athenian lady, has been an earnest 
co-worker with her husband in his hterary labors as well as in 
the actual work of excavations. With her own hands she has 
unearthed some exceedingly valuable specimens of pottery and 
other articles of verv ancient date. 



CHAT V. 



TURKEY. 



The Sea where Helle Sank— The Swimmer op the Ancient 
Tale — The Turkish Capital —Visiting a Harem — The 
Favorite Daughter of the Grand Vizier — Her Gorgeous 
Rooms — A Picturesque Costume— The Singing op Slave 
Girls — Sipping Coffee from Jeweled Cups of Gold— A 
Circassian Princess — Diamond Earrings that Rested on 
Her Shoulders — The Prime Minister's Idea of America — 
The Bedroom of the Princess — A Hospitable Invitation 
— On the Bosphorus in a Graceful Caique — The Sultan's 
Palace — His Bathroom of Alabaster and Silver — The 
Queen Mother — How She Goes Boating — The Sultan's 
Birthday Present — In a Peacock Garden — Ordering a 
Palace — Turkish Homes — The Terraced Bosphorus — An 
American's Noble Gift — In the Mosque — How the Women 
Gossip on the Ferry Boats — Reckoning Time. 

We sailed from Athens for Constantinople. The track of 
our steamer lay through the Greek archipelago, sometimes 
called the ^gean Sea. It is thickly studded with beautiful 
islands celebrated in classical history and rich with legendary 
lore. We passed through the Hellespont, a narrow strait now 
called the Dardanelles. It connects the ^gean Sea with the 
Sea of Marmora. The Hellespont received its name from the 
following circumstances : A young Greek girl named Helle 
and her brother Phrixus were persecuted by their stepmother 
Ino ages ago, according to the legend. They fled from their 



52 B Y LAND AND SEA. 

home in Thessaly on a golden ram given them by the god Mer- 
cury. This vakiable animal was able to fly through the air, 
and m this way he safely bore the two children as far as the 
Hellespont. But when they were passing over that strait Helle 
fell into the sea and was drowned. Hence it was called the sea 
of Helle or Hellespont. 

This strait is also famous on account of Hero and Leander. 
The former was a lovely young priestess who hved at Sestos, 
opposite Abydos, where Leander lived. Often he swam the 
boisterous strait at night to visit her, guided by the torch she 
kept lit on the top of a tower. But one stormy night Leander 
was drowned, and when at daybreak Hero saw his corpse float- 
ing on the waves she threw herself into the sea from the tower 
and perished with him. Fi'om the Dardanelles one may also 
see the famous plains where Troy once stood, and Mount Ida. 
the scene of so many interesting legends. 

The sail across the sea of Marmora brought us in sight of 
Constantinople. It is a great and celebrated city, beautifully 
situated on the Sea of Marmora and the strait called the Bos- 
phorus, which leads to the Black Sea. The prospect is unsur- 
passed for loveliness as one sails towards the city on a pleasant 
day. 

Many gilded domes, minarets, kiosks and palaces sur- 
rounded ^vith gardens on the hillsides down to the water's edge 
line both shores of the Bosphorus. 

While at Constantinople I was invited to visit the harem 
or ladies' rooms of the establishment of the Sultan's Grand 
Vizier or Prime Minister. I was fortunately accompanied b}' a 
European lady, the wife of the court physician, who kindly 
offered her services as interperter. We were received at the 
entrance of the palace by a half-dozen slave girls prettily dressed 
in bright colors, who escorted us thi'ough several long corridors, 
the w^alls of wliich were faced with oriental amber-colored 




THE GOLDEN HORN, FROM PERA. 



VISITING A TURKISH HAREM. 58 

alabaster, while the vaulted ceilings were supported by columns 
of prophyry, verd antique and other beautiful marbles. We 
were conducted up an alabaster staircase into a large room fur- 
nished with low and luxurious divans on all sides covered with 
rich Persian stuffs ; beautiful velvet and gold embroidered 
cushions were spread on the floor to serve also as seats. 

Immediately after our entrance other gaily attired slave- 
girls brought nargalees or waterpipes, with amber and jeweled 
mouthpieces, w^hich were offered us. This politeness we were 
obliged to decline, saying that American ladies had not yet 
accustomed themselves to the habit of smoking. We then 
went to another room, where the windows were protected by 
finely-carved wooden lattice-work, as indeed are all the win- 
dows in the women's apartments of a Turkish house. Here 
we were served with delicious black coffee in tiny golden cups 
ornamented with precious stones, which we accepted with pleas- 
ure. From this room we were conducted through magnificent 
arched marble halls furnished with costly rugs and divans 
upholstered with rich embroideries, into the salon of the eldest 
daughter of the grand vizier. A curtain of cloth of gold was 
raised ; the favorite daughter, surrounded by a half-dozen attend- 
ants gorgeously dressed in silks and literally covered with flash- 
ing jewels, received us at the entrance and invited us to be 
seated on a divan. There were beautiful divans on all sides of 
the room, which with the floor cushions were covered with 
crimson velvet and gold embroideries and trinmied with golden 
cord and tassels. 

Upon the wall was a life-sized portrait of the Sultan, the 
only picture in the palace. There were books in French and 
English strewn around upon the divans. It is said that this 
princess is the only Turkish woman who could speak or read in 
any other than her own language ; but I cannot vouch for the 
truth of this statement. 



54 BY LAND AND SEA. 

The princess received us most graciously, addressing us in 
English. Her toilet was in accordance with the national cos- 
tume, consisting of wide pantaloons of blue silk gathered at the 
ankles, and a short tunic of crimson velvet embroidered and 
fringed with gold thread and seed pearls, and confined at the 
waist with a golden girdle from which long golden cords and 
tassels were suspended. The sleeves were slashed to the should- 
ers, displaying magnificent armlets of jewels worn above the 
elbows. Her fez or head-dress was of crimson velvet orna- 
mented on one side with an aigrette of precious stones in cres- 
cent form ; a pair of yellow kid slippers completed her toilet. 

The princess called our attention to some of her books, tell- 
ing us that she read them with much pleasure. At a signal, 
her slave attendants commenced singing, accompanying them- 
selves with most novel-looking instruments ; but if we thought 
the music strange and perhaps inharmonious, we did not say 
so. These slave girls were about the same age as the princess ; 
they were born in the palace, and had been given to her in their 
infancy, having been trained to do her bidding and to entertain 
their mistress. 

After a time a small, low, round table was brought in, upon 
which were placed golden cups filled with black coffee, and 
cushions were arranged by it as seats for us. This was a signal 
that our visit with the princess was about to terminate. The 
custom among the Turkish ladies is to offer coffee, cigarettes, 
and nargalees to visitors on their entrance, and again on their 
departure. 

We had a most agreeable conversation while sipping our 
coffee from the jeweled cups. 

When we had finished, the princess asked us if we would 
like to be presented to her mother. Accepting her invitation, 
we were conducted to that lady's apartments by another half- 
dozen beautifully-dressed slave girls and attended by a eunuch 



QUESTIONED BY THE GRAND VIZIER. 55 

attired in a gorgeous uniform of scarlet and gold, decorated with 
jewels. The noble lady was a beautiful blonde Circassian 
woman. She received us reclining upon a rich divan, with a 
gilt and alabaster table close at hand, supplied with perfumed 
cigarettes, several jeweled amber mouth-pieces, and a golden 
candlestick holding a lighted taper. Coffee ^nd cigarettes 
were immediately offered us. 

This princess was arrayed in a flowing white muslin gown, 
confined at the waist with a golden cord and tassels of seed 
pearls. Her ear-rings were in the form of the fuchsia, a beau- 
tiful drooping flower, and composed entirely of diamonds cut 
in varied shapes to represent the flower. They were so long 
that they literally rested upon her shoulders. Among the Turk- 
ish women it is considered a high compliment if their articles 
of dress are remarked upon and admired, and on this occasion 
indeed we did not forbear admiring these exquisite jewels. She 
took them from her ears and allowed us to examine them at 
our leisure. 

After a few informal compliments had been exchanged, 
we were invited into the music room, where a dozen magnifi- 
cently-attired girls as black as night gave us a repetition of the 
same kind of music we had already heard. When the music 
was finished the grand vizier himself came into the room, and 
through the interpreter asked if we had gas in America to illu- 
minate our houses. He said he thoaght our country was yet 
too young to have such luxuries ! He desired to know if there 
were many white people in America. He seemed to have the 
idea that the inhabitants were mostly Indians. We gave him 
some points of instruction, and among others told him we had 
a railroad from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans about four 
thousand miles long. I doubt if he really believed our story. 
He probably thought we were talking in hyperbole, or exag- 
gerated language, such as orientals love to indulge in. 



56 BY LAND AND SEA. 

We were then conducted to the bedroom of the jmncess, 
the grand vizier accompanying us. The principal furniture in 
this room was an unusually large bedstead made of gilded wood, 
and built up so high from the floor that in order to reach it two 
steps had been constructed the length of the bedstead, over 
which velvet was laid. The bed was covered with a white 
counterpane fringed with gold thread ; the pillow cases were 
also embroidered at the open ends with the same rich thread, 
and both of these articles could be washed. There was no other 
furniture in the room except a long divan, luxurious floor 
cushions and beautiful softly-tinted rugs. 

In due time we indicated that the limit of our visit had 
expired. The hospitable vizier replied that he would assign to 
us an apartment which we were at liberty to occupy as long as 
we might desire, and he would send for our friends and clothes. 
We declined his polite invitation, and with the exchange of 
many compHments we took our leave. 

On descending the staircase we found at the entrance a 
magnificent caique, or row boat, manned by a dozen caique- 
men in holiday attire. This graceful, fairy-hke boat was fur- 
nished with crimson velvet cushions trimmed with gold fi'inge 
and tassels, and large squares of fringed velvet were thrown 
over the sides ; the floor of the caique was carpeted with the 
same rich stutt" ; there was a large gilt crescent at the prow, 
and, in our honor, an American flag was at the stern. This 
caique was placed at our service. 

We could not resist the temptation to take a httle turn on 
the Bosphorus, and we went to see the sultan's palace. This 
building is of white marble, with doors hung on silver hinges 
and their trimmings of the same metal. The windows were 
also ornamented with silver. The bath-room was indeed a 
marvel of beauty ; it was about twenty feet square with no 
other visible material in its construction than alabaster and 



THE MOTHER OF THE SULTAN. 57 

silver. The bath fountain in the center of the room was of 
soUd silver, from which issued jets of tepid perfumed water. 
The necessary bathing accessories were of silver, and snow- 
white linen. We were told that on the site of this bath-house 
once stood a beautiful palace occupied at times by the sultan, 
and that because one of his favorite Circassian wives died in the 
palace he caused it to be taken down and the bath-palace built 
in its place. 

The mother of the sultan holds the place of honor over all 
the women of the sultan's household. She has her own palace, 
and an immense income called " Slipper money ;" she also has 
a retinue of one hundred and fifty slaves at her command. She 
is called the sultana valide, or queen mother, the highest title 
given to a Turkish woman. When she drives out she has a 
suite of thirty girls gorgeously arrayed in bright clothes and 
fine jewels, and an escort of a dozen black eunuchs^ attired in 
scarlet and gold, mounted on splendid Arabian horses. 

When the sultana valide makes an excursion on the Bos- 
phorus she goes in an imperial caique. The twenty caiquemen 
are dressed in white silk shirts and trousers, and wear the red 
fez with a long blue silk tassel. She reclines under a canopy 
of crimson velvet with white golden fringe. The caique is 
white, ornamented with traceries of gold and crimson. Five 
imperial caiques carrying ladies of honor attend her. 

It is said that seven thousand people daily eat bread and 
salt from the sultan's store at a cost of millions a year. The 
sultana's yearly birth-day present to the sultan is a young and 
beautiful Circassian slave -girl. 

We also made a visit to the sultan's peacock aviary. This 
is a large garden surrounded by a high wall, and contains sev- 
eral enchanting little kiosks, besides a number of unique foun- 
tains. These kiosks are the favorite resorts of the ladies of the 
harem, where they are served with cofi'ee and sugared fruits, 



58 BY LAXD AXD SEA. 

and from whence they observe the graceful movements of the 
bright-plumaged peacocks. There were nearly a hundred of 
these birds of all sizes in the garden ; the ground was literally 
carpeted with the fallen feathers. We were allowed to gather 
a handful of these brilliant plumes. 

The sultan has many palaces on the Bosphorus. On a cer- 
tain occasion he desired a new palace ; it was ordered in the 
month of February and finished in the follo^-iug .June. He 
has only to command and his wish is law. 

There is no family among the Turks as we know home life. 
The women are not confined to their homes by domestic duties 
and responsibilities. The details of the house are arranged by 
a steward, who cares for the entire establishment. The women 
are free to visit from house to house in their own vicinity at 
their pleasure. With a small cahco bag containing necessary 
articles, and two or three httle children, boys and girls, tugging 
at her skirts, and dressed hke the mother, she goes about the 
neighborhood visiting friends and remaining as long as she may 
find it agreeable. The little boys are taken fiom their mother 
at the age of ten years and placed at school or in the military 
barracks, and a few years later are put into the service of the 
sultan's reserve corps. The girls remain with their mothers 
until they are old enough to be chosen for the harem. 

Until the last twenty years there were no common schools 
in Turkey for the children. Girls grew up to know nothing 
beyond what they heard and saw while with then mothers. 

The Bosphorus is a channel eighteen miles long, connect- 
ing the sea of Marmora with the Black sea. The heights on 
both sides are very picturesque. The villages and large towns 
along the shore are built upon terraced plateaus extending up 
the heights. The Turks prefer the buildings nearest the water ; 
the foreigners are obhged to occupy the terraces. 

Conspicuous among the buildings along the shores are the 



ALONG THE BOSPHORUS. 59 

palace, the mosques or houses of worship with their gilded 
domes and minarets, and the kiosks, or summer houses. Not 
the least conspicuous nor the least important building one sees 
on the Bosphorus is Robert College, situated on the heights 
called Romili Hissar. This college was established by Dr. Ham- 
lin, an American missionary, who spent over forty years of his 
life in the Orient. Mr. Robert of New York city gave the 
money for the erection of the building, and partly endowed it. 

This college is for the secular, scientific and the theological 
education of ydung men from the East. There are text-books 
in several different languages used in the college. But all the 
students must learn something of English during the course of 
study. 

In the Turkish mosques but few women are seen ; the pub- 
lic service is generally attended only by men. Fiv6 times in 
the twenty-four hours the mosque officials must go to the top 
of the minarets and call out the hour for prayer. The women 
perform their religious devotions in their own apartments. 

There are many steam ferry boats in constant service on 
the Bosphorus. These boats have an apartment curtained off 
on the stern deck for Turkish women, which is furnished with 
low stools about a foot high, where they enjoy their gossip and 
smoke their cigarettes. 

The Turks have a peculiar system of their own for calcu- 
lating the hour of the day. The clock dial has twenty-four 
divisions, including two zeros which take the place of the figure 
12, and the figures 1, 2, 8, etc., up to 11, are repeated twice. 
They begin the reckoning of the twenty-four hours at sunset, 
which is njarked zero, and when the indicator points to the fig- 
ure 1 it is called one o'clock p. m., and likewise the hours are 
indicated until the pointer reaches the second zero, when one 
hour, or division, from that time is called one o'clock a. m. Con- 
sequently the indicator recording the time on clock and watch 



60 BY LAND AND SEA. 

dials must be changed every day to agree with the moment of 
sunset. For example : If the sun sets at five o'clock p. m., 
meridian time, one hour from that time the pointer indicates 
one o'clock p. m., and so continues to mark the hours until the 
seoond zero is reached, and then the figure 1 indicates one 
o'clock A. M. By the meridian reckoning of time we call one 
hour after midday one o'clock p. m., one hour after midnight 
one o'clock a. m. 

The Bosphorus steamers and ferry boats run by Turkish 
time, and until the foreigner learns to calculate the difference 
between meridian and local time in Constantinople he finds 
himself constantly embarrassed in regard to the running time 
of the boats, which are the principal means of travel from point 
to point along the shores of the Bosphorus. 

Constantinople is a very old city. It was first called Byzan- 
tium, and after the Roman empire was divided into two parts 
it was the capital of the division called the Eastern empire. It 
received its present name from Constantine the Great. Natur- 
ally there are many most interesting objects to attract the visi- 
tor in this ancient capital. But we have much yet to see 
before we complete our journey, and must therefore leave the 
beautiful shores of the Bosphorus for a yet older country, the 
land of Egypt. 



CHAT VI. 



IN EGYPT. 



The World's Seven Wonders — The Ruins of the Brazen 
Colossus — Cleopatra's Needles — Cicero's Novel Sights 
— Palaces that are Marvels of Luxury and Beauty — 
The Pyramids— Huge Cheops— Higher than the Highest 
Dome or Spire — How the Khedive took in his Brother's 
Family of Five Hundred — The Story with which a Sheik 
Entertained a Prince — The Lady Badoura and the Jeal- 
ous Emir— The Happy Ending of a Woful Seperation — 
How A Cairo Merchant Sells Goods — The Eajah who 
Wooed and Won a Donkey Driver's Daughter— How a 
Little Black-Eyed Teacher Became a Princess — The 
Gift of the Nile— Grain Fields for Deserts — Teaching 
Little Mohammedans — Dancing and Howling Dervishes 
— Places that Tradition Connects with the Infancy of 
Moses and Jesus — The Crossing of the Red Sea. 

On leaving the shores of the Bosphorus and saihng through 
our steamer passed the Dardanelles, island after island, famous 
in Grecian legend and history. We touched at the island of 
Rhodes, where once stood the Colossus which was one of the 
seven wonders of the world. The visible portion of this monu- 
ment ages since disappeared, but the foundations still remain 
deeply imbedded in the sands of the sea. It is said that the 
ruins of the Colossus were sold to a Jewish merchant who 
carried off seven hundred camel-loads of the metal. The brass 
of this statue 880 years after its fall amounted to 720,000 pounds. 



02 B Y LAND AND SEA. 

It was taken to a European city, sold for a large amount of 
money and recast into various monuments. 

The other six wonders of the world were the Pyramids of 
Egypt, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the tomb of Mausolus, 
king of Caria, the temple of Diana at Ephesus, the statue of 
Jupiter at Olympia by Phidas, made of ivory and gold, and the 
palace of Syrus, cemented with gold. 

The Pyramids of Egypt, which may yet endure foi* ages to 
come, are all that is left of these marvelous structures. 

We enter Egypt at Alexandria, which is an important com- 
mercial port on the Mediterranean coast, and the sea port of 
Cairo. There is not much of interest for the general tourist in 
Alexandria. The companion obehsk to the Egyptian column 
now standing in Central park, New York city, still remains 
on its "native heath," lying in a horizontal position, partly 
imbedded in the sand. I have had the pleasure of seeing these 
two obelisks — called Cleopatra's Needles — in their original bed 
in Alexandria, where they had been lying side by side for ages. 
At that time the question was, how could the obelisk now in 
America be taken to that country, for it is of very great weight 
and bulk. But such a gift was not to be decUned, and the 
"ways and means " wei*e soon found by which to transport this 
remarkable work of antiquity to our country. 

Egypt is called the land of the Pharaohs. Cairo is its 
principal city. The streets of Cairo are full of novel sights ; the 
natives go about on donkeys and camels : the women are closely 
veiled when they are in the streets. Some fine Arabian horses 
are seen, which are in the service of the official and domestic 
households of the khedive or sovereign, whose family aud 
retainers number many hundreds. 

The favorite ladies of the khedive's harem, as the feminine 
portion of his household is called, go closely veiled about the 
city in magnificent equipages ; they make rounds of visits from 



THE PYRAMIDS OF EGYPT. 63 

palace to palace of the khedive's various households, with noth- 
ing to do but to admire each other's fine dress and beautiful 
jewels, and to gossip about the details of harem life. The pal- 
aces are marvels of luxury and beauty. The khedive's new 
palace, when finished, will be perhaps the largest and most 
magnificent in existence. Egypt is the home of the Oriental 
alabaster, and much of the beautiful stone enters into the con- 
struction of this palace. The grounds are enclosed by miles 
of stone wall teii feet high, and have a frontage on the river 
Nile of three and a half miles. There is a group of three pal- 
aces within the walls, connected by corridors already finished, 
and others are building. 

There is so much generally known about the Pyramids of 
Egypt that I will only give dimensions of the largest one in the 
group called the Pyramid of Cheops. It is four hundred and 
eighty feet high ; each of the four sides measures seven 
hundred and sixty feet at the base on the ground level. Its 
height, measured from the surface of the ground, exceeds the 
highest towers and steeples in Europe, and yet much of the 
original base is imbedded in the sand. To the top of the tower 
of the Strasburg cathedral from the ground measures four 
hundred and sixty-one feet ; St. Peter's at Rome lifts its cross- 
crowned dome to the height of four hundred and thirty-seven 
feet ; St. Paul's in London measures from the ground to the 
pinnacle on the dome three hundred and sixty-five feet. 

Several years ago a brother of the khedive, residing in 
Constantinople, died ; he left a family of five hundred persons, 
all told, to be cared for. The khedive ordered two small steam- 
ers to go to Constantinople and bring the family to Alexandria, 
where a beautiful palace v/as assigned to their service. 

I was invited to pay a visit to the princess Monsoor, a 
daughter of the khedive's favorite wife. Harem life in Cairo 
is in general detail the same as in Constantinople. The routine 



64 BY LAND AND SEA. 

of daily life among the women consists in visiting, smok- 
ing pipes and cigarettes and coffee drinking. Princess 
Mansoor is a beautiful blonde Circassian ; she was attired in a 
rich brown silk dress with trimmings of tortoise shell, upon 
the face of which was wrought a crescent and the letter I, the 
letter standing for Ishmail, the name of the reigning khedive 
at that time. 

In regard to the name of Mansoor, the following story was 
told me. The tale was originally related by Ibn Mansoor, a 
sheik of olden times, and one of the high caliph's boon com- 
panions. 

One of the Arabian princess, called the Prince of the Faith- 
ful, had many cares on his mind, and one night he became 
very restless and could not sleep. He summoned one of his 
retainers, Mesrour by name, and ordered him to bring some 
one to his chamber to divert him. Mesrour replied, " my 
lord prince, will you not come out into the palace garden and 
amuse yourself with looking at the flowers, and observe the 
planets, and see the beautiful moon seated upon her throne of 
silver stars?" The prince answered, "0 Mesrour, verily my 
soul wishes for nothing of that kind," " my lord, most high 
and noble," rejoined Mesrour, "then order the learned men 
and poets to come before thee, that they may enter into dis- 
cussions, and recite verses to thee, or relate wonderful tales to 
thine ear." The prince again replied that neither did his soul 
incline to any such amusement. "0 my lord," continued 
Mesrour, "order the pages and the boon companions, and the 
men of polite manners, to come before thee to give an entertain- 
ment of witticisms and pleasant speech." 

At this suggestion the prince was well pleased, and said, 
"O Mesrour, see who of the boon companions may be without 
the door." The bidding was obeyed, and Mesrour quickly 
returned, saying, "0 my lord, Ali, Ibn Mansoor, the wag of 



IBN MANSOOR'S STOR Y. ,65 

Damascus, is at the door." The prince ordered that he should 
enter the chamber at once. 

Ibn Mansoor came into the presence of the prince and said, 
after making his salaam, "Peace be on. thee, Prince of the 
Faithful." The prince returned the salutation and spoke, "O 
Ibn Mansoor, may it please you to relate to us a story." "O 
Prince of the Faithful," replied Mansoor, " shall I relate a thing 
that^I have witnessed, or a thing whereof I have heard ? " The 
prince answered, "If you have seen anything extraordinary 
relate it to us." "Then," said Mansoor, " Prince of the 
Faithful, give me thy hearing and thy mind.'" To which the 
prince replied, ' ' O Ibn Mansoor, I hear with mine ears, I see 
with mine eyes, and I attend with my mind." 

Then continued Mansoor and said, " Prince of .the Faith- 
ful, know that I have an appointment every year with 
Mohammed, the son of Hashimi, the Sultan of Balsora. I went 
to him as I was wont, and found him ready for the chase. 
He saluted me according to his custom, and bade me to mount 
and accompany him to the chase. But I replied, ' O my lord 
Sultan, I have not the power to ride, therefore I beg thee to 
seat me in the mansion and give charge to the chamberlain 
respecting me, and I will await thy return.' 

"The Sultan did as I suggested, and then went his way to 
the chase. I was well treated, and entertained sumptuously. 
After a time I said to myself, ' By Allah ! it is wonderful that 
I know so little of Balsora and I have been coming here many 
years. I only know the way from the palace to the garden, 
and from the garden to the palace. When shall I find a better 
opportunity to amuse myself with a view of the quarters ? ' And 
so I arose and walked out into the outer garden^ Now thou 
knowest, Prince of the Faithful, that there are in Balsora 
seventy streets, the length of each being three leagues. 

"In the course of my wanderings I lost my way in its 



66 BY LAND AND SEA. 

by-streets, and being overcome with thirst I went to a great 
door near at hand which had upon it two large rings of brass, 
and a curtain of red hung over it. I stopped to divert myself 
with a view of the mansion, and while standing there I heard 
a voice of lamentation warbling melodious sounds. 

' ' I approached the door and slightly raised the curtain ; and 
lo I I beheld a fair damsel. While looking at her she chanced 
to cast a glance toward the door and saw me standing there 
with the curtain half raised. She ordered one of the slave-girls 
to inquii'e who was at the door. The girl advanced and said, 
' sheik, have you no modesty \ What right have you to 
enter a harem that is not your own I ' I answered, saying, ' 
mistress, I have a good excuse for doing so. It is this : I am a 
stranger in Balsora and have lost my way, and am suffering 
greatly with a dreadful thirst from which I have almost per- 
ished. 

''The damsel called another slave attendant and said. '0 
Lutf . give to the stranger at the door a draught of water in 
the mug of gold. " Straightway a mug of shining gold set with 
jewels, and filled with perfumed water, covered with a napkin 
of green silk, was brought and handed to me, I prolonged my 
drinking, Prince of the Faithful, stealing glances the while 
at the beautiful maiden. Whereupon the damsel said. ' 
sheik, go your way.' ' my beautiful mistress,' said I. ' I am 
greatly troubled in mind.* 'Respecting what T inquired the 
damsel. ' I am tliinkiug." said I, ' of the former owner of this 
beautiful mansion, who was a sincere friend of mine in his life- 
time. He had great riches ; has he left any children V " Yes,' 
said the maiden. ' he has left a daughter called Badoura, and 
she has inherited all his treasures.' 'Then,' said I, ' my 
sweet mistress, are you the daughter V 'Yes, sheik. You 
have prolonged your discourse, now go youi- way.' 

'*' 'Yes, I must go,' replied I, 'that I know. But I see you 



A DISCONSOLATE LOVER. - 67 

are sad, and disturbed in mind. Perhaps God may grant you 
relief by means of me.' To which she rephed, ' sheik, if you 
are indeed of the number of those who are worthy of being 
intrusted with secrets, then will I reveal mine. Inform me 
who you may be.' 

"I told her my name, and that I was one of the boon com- 
panions of the High Caliph in Damascus. When she heard my 
name spoken, Prince of the Faithful, she saluted me and 
said, ' Welcome, thrice welcome, Ibn Mansoor, I will acquaint 
you with my secret. I am a separated and a disconsolate lover. 
I love Jubir, the Emir of the tribe of Sheiban.' I asked, ' What, 
mistress of the beautiful, is the cause of this unhappy sep- 
aration?' 'The cause was this, and this only,' mournfully 
answered the damsel. ' One day I was sitting on a mat by the 
open door. Ubysino, my slave girl, was combing my hair, and 
when she had finished with the work, she inclined her face to 
my head and kissed my braided tresses. Just at that moment 
Jubir, the noble, passed by the door, and seeing the act of love 
of my slave, he determined straightway upon a separation, and 
recited this verse : — 

If another have a share in the object of my love, 
I abandon my beloved, and live alone forever. 
And since that unlucky day, sheik, have I heard no word 
from him.' 

' ' ' And what do you desire of me, O mistress Badoura ? ' 
She replied, ' sheik, I desire to send him a letter by you. If 
you bring me answer from Jubir, I will give you five hundred 
pieces of gold. If you bring no answer, I vdll give you one 
hundred pieces of gold as compensation for the long walk.' 

" The fair damsel, O high prince, quickly wrote the letter 
and gave it to me. 

"I went to the palace of Jubir ; he was not at home. After 
a time, lo! he appeared, mounted upon a steed caparisoned with 



68 B Y LAND AND SEA. 

jewels and fine cloth. When he observed me, he saluted and 
embraced me. We went into the house and he ordered the 
table to be brought laden with choice viands. The table was 
made of precious woods ; the feet were of gold, and upon it 
were many kinds of savory food. Then Jubir said, 'Let us 
stretch forth our hands and comfort our hearts by eating of 
this provision.' 'But,' I replied, 'by Allah, Jubir, I will not 
eat of your food until you have satisfied my desire.' Where- 
upon Jubir askedj ' What then, sheik, is your desire ? ' 

"I handed him the letter from Badoura, which he read and 
tore into a thousand pieces, and gave the bits of paper to the 
wind, saying, ' Ibn Mansoor, whatsoever you desire except — 
be it understood — an answer to this letter, you can have. To 
this letter I have no reply to give.' 

"Straightway, Prince of the Faithful, Jubir fell into a 
fit and was carried to his chamber. After a time, a slave- wo- 
man came to me with a bag of gold, as much as I was able to 
carry in one hand, and said, ' sheik, my master sends this 
to you. Now go your way.' 

"I returned to the damsel with the sorrowful tidings that 
I came without answer to her letter. Then she said mourn- 
fully, • Ibn Mansoor, night and day succeed not one another 
during the course of an event without changing it.' Then she 
raised her eyes towards heaven, great prince, and said : ' O 
object of my worship, my Master and my Lord, as Thou hast 
afflicted me by the love of Jubir, so do Thou afflict him by the 
love of me.' Then she gave me the promised hundred pieces 
of gold, and I went immediately to the sultan of Balsora. He 
also paid me a sum of gold, and I returned to Bagdad. 

' ' When the next year arrived, Prince of the Faithful, I 
repaired again to Balsora and performed my service to the sul- 
tan, for which I received my full compensation. I then 
bethought myself, prince, of the damsel, Badoura, and I 



JUBIR'S PATHETIC LOVE LETTER. 61) 

said to myself, ' by Allah, I must go and seek information con- 
cerning her. ' Forthwith I went to the mansion and found the 
ground before her door had been swept and sprinkled, and 
many servants were there. I believed the damsel had died of 
her great grief, and that one of the emirs had taken up his 
abode in her dwelling. Sadly I turned away without making 
inquiry about the maiden, and went to the house of Jubir. 
Then I found the marble benches in front of the door demol- 
ished ; there were no pages standing near, and I stood and 
bewailed in mournful verse the sad fate of these two people, 

"Soon came out a slave-girl and said, ' sheik, be silent ; 
may you be bereft of your mother ! Wherefore bewail you so 
before this door?' I answered, 'This mansion was- once the 
home of a good friend of mine, and now he is no more.' The 
servant replied, ' It is not even so. Jubir is still blest with his 
riches, but God has afflicted him with the love of a beautiful 
damsel named Lady Badoura, and he is so overwhelmed by his 
love for her that he is like a great overthrown rock ; he neither 
eats, nor drinks, nor sleeps.' 'Go ask permission,' said I, 'of 
your master to let me come to his chamber.' 

"I found the unhappy man, Prince of the Faithful, like 
a mass of stone thrown down, understanding neither sign nor 
speech. The servant said to me, ' sheik, if you know any 
consoling verses, recite them to my master.' Accordingly I 
repeated to Jubir a very pathetic love ditty, which pleased him 
greatly, most excellent prince.' 

"He opened his eyes and said to me, 'Welcome, welcome, 
Ibn Mansoor. Will you go straightway and take a letter to 
her I love ? ' 

" It was quickly written, and read as follows : ' I conjure you 
by Allah, O my well beloved mistress, act gently towards me ; 
love hath deprived me of my reason. My passion for you hath 
enslaved me, and clad me with garments of sickness, and reu- 



70 BY LAND AND SEA. 

dered me pitiable. I was wont before this to think lightly of 
love, and to regard it, my beloved mistress, as an easy mat- 
ter. But when it had showm me the waves of its sea, 1 sub- 
mitted to God's judgment. If you w^ll, my mistress, have 
mercy, and grant me a meeting ; and if you wdll. kill me ; but 
still forget not to show mercy and favor. ' 

"I stood again before her door; all was quiet. I gently 
raised the curtain, and lo, I saw ten slave-girls as beautiful as 
the stars seated upon low cushions, with the princess Badoura 
in their midst, shining in her beauty like the full moon, 0, 
Prince of the Faithful, happily she observed me, and welcomed 
me kindly. 

"I gave to her the letter; she read its contents and was 
well pleased. Said she, ' Ibn Mansoor, I will send by you my 
answer.' She wrote once, twice and thrice, and tore the paper 
in pieces each time. Again she wrote, and this time, Prince 
of the Good, she sealed the words and bid me carry them on 
the wings of the wind. I said, * No, Mistress of the Moon, 
I cannot take a message whose contents I know not of.' She 
then recited her letter, which read as follows : 

" *How long. how long, shall this coyness and aversion 
continue, Jubir, my beloved \ Perhaps I did commit a wrong, 
and if so, I was not aware of it. Then inform me wherefore 
hast thou done this. I did desire to welcome thee, Jubir, the 
noble, as I welcome sleep to my eyehds. And since thou, too, 
hast drank of the pure cup of love, welcome, thrice welcome, 
Jubu', star of my heaven." 

''I said, 'Well done, good and virtuous damsel ; now I will 
carry the message.' 

*'I took the letter. prince, and gave it into the hands of 
Jubir. He opened and read, and then said, ' Ibn Mansoor, 
did she wiite this with her hands { ' I rephed. ' By Allah, she 
did ; do people write with their feet \ ' And Prince of the 



JUBIR AND BADOURA MARRIED. 71 

Best, my words were not yet ended when we heard the clinking 
of her anklets in the corridor. On beholding her whom he 
loved, Jubir arose upon his feet. The pain of his heart and 
the heaviness of his limbs had left him. 

"Jubir seated himself again, and said to Badoura, ' Where- 
fore, ray beloved mistress, hast thou not sat down?' She 
answered, turning her beaming eyes upon me, and said, '0 
sheik, I will sit me down only upon one condition ;' and, 
Prince, she bent hej' beautiful head over to me and whispered 
some secret words, whereupon I sent a slave to do my bidding, 
and soon came a cadi* and two witnesses. 

"Jubir then arose and gave the cadi a purse containing a 
thousand pieces of gold, and said, ' cadi, perform the cere- 
mony of marriage between this damsql and me.' It was done, 
Prince of the Faithful, and I went my way rejoicing. But, 
O Prince, I have yet whereof to tell you. As I was lifting the 
curtain to go out, the Princess Badoura called me back and put 
into my hands a purse containing three thousand pieces of gold. 
What think ye of that, O prince ? " 

By this time the restlessness of the Prince of the Faith- 
ful had ceased, and his heart had dilated. He said, "0 Ibn Mon- 
soor, go forth and bring to me a damsel as fair and as good as 
the Princess Badoura, and three thousand pieces of gold are 
thine." 

There are miles of bazars in Cairo ; they occupy a large 
tract of land in the heart of the city. Here may be seen pro- 
ducts from every part of the East, even from the Indies. The 
bazaars are small booths not more than ten feet square. The 
merchant sits cross-legged, Turkish fashion, upon a low table 
in the center of his little shop, with his pipe in his mouth. The 
goods for sale are heaped together on shelves within hand's 
reach of the master of the shop. He does not importune cus- 

* A doctor of the Law. 



r2 BY L.4XD AXD SEA. 

tomei-s to buy. but rather, the customer must ask him as a 
favor to show the goods, which is doue by the merchant's point- 
ing to a pile of rich stuffs heaped up in the corner : but if the 
[lile is beyond the masters reach, he will ask the customer to 
hand the pile to him 1 Apparently he is indifferent about 
making a sale, but if the customer tui'us to leave the shop with- 
out purchasing, then the merchant assumes quite another man- 
ner. He is upon his feet in a moment, and is all smiles and 
aft^abihty. Gold and silver ornaments and jewehy are sold by 
weight at a fixed price for the metal, and an additional small 
sum is asked for the workmanshij*. The gold and silver are 
warranted by the merchant to be pure metal. 

I visited the Amencan Mission School in Caii'O for Arab and 
Egyptian girls. There I heard a very remaikable story of one 
of the httle school-girls, which occurred only a few yeai"S 
before. The story was told me by the mistress of the school, 
and was as follows : A certain East Indian rajah many yeai-s 
ago abandoned the religious faith of his people and accepted 
the Christian beUef. He went to England, where be purchased 
a beautiful property, including a palace, and lived in grand 
style. The prince was very rich, and a kind-hearted man 
withal. He freely bestowed good gifts upon the poor. The 
rajah was received kindly by the royal family. 

On a certain occasion the rajah passed through Cairo on his 
way for a visit to the home of his ancestors in India. He had 
heard of this ^Mission School, and being interested in the work 
of Christian education, he called upon the lady director of the 
school, without giving his name or rank, and made known his 
desire to visit the classes. He was invited into one of the class 
rooms, where were sixteen young Egyptian girls, bai'efooted 
and scantily clad, seated on the floor receiving instiniction from 
one a little older than themselves, who sat within the circle. 
The rajah was at once captivated by the earnest manner and 



A RAJAH WANTS A WIFE. 73 

the large and expressive black eyes of the young teacher, who 
kept her position on the floor, and looked unhappy that her 
class had been disturbed. 

After leaving the room the rajah made some inquiries 
regarding the young teacher, and said to the directress of the 
school that he would like to make that young girl his wife ; the 
lady was not agreeably impressed by the suggestion, from one 
who was an entire stranger. She told him that she had 
reclaimed the girl from a very low life ; that she had been a 
donkey-driver ; that she had found her living with her mother 
in a little donkey-stable, and being a bright little girl she had 
permission of the mother to take her into the school, saying 
that she was now educated to a point where she was useful as 
an assistant in the school, and therefore begged the unknown 
suitor to make no further allusion to the subject. The rajah 
thanked the lady for her kindness, and asked permission to 
return the next day. 

On the following day, at the appointed hour, the rajah 
came again and presented his card, with an autograph letter 
from Queen Victoria. The rajah wished to visit the school 
again, and on his departure renewed his request to be per- 
mitted to make the young Eg3^ptian teacher his wife, giving 
as his reason for his sudden falling in love, that the girl's eyes 
and earnest manner had completely captivated him. He said 
he would place her under proper tuition and training imme- 
diately after marriage, in order to fit her for a position of 
usefulness which she could never otherwise obtain. He desired 
the directress of the school to communicate his proposition to 
the girl, to whom he had not yet addressed one word, and said 
he would call on the following day for her decision. Accord- 
ingly the wishes of the rajah were made known to the girl. 

The simple-minded girl, not yet fifteen years old, did not 
understand one word what was meant by marriage, and 
i 



74 ,B Y LAND AND SEA. 

entreated her kind guardian not to send her into slavery. She 
wept bitterly at the thought of being sent away, and was only 
pacified when told that she should not go unless entirely- will- 
ing to do so after she fully understoood what the proposal 
meant. 

The rajah came again on the third day, and showed papers 
which fully satisfied the principal of the school that his motives 
were pure and noble. He then desired to speak with the girl, 
which was done in the presence of the lady. He addressed the 
girl in the Ai-abic language, which was understood by the 
teacher. The interview greatly terrified the timid creature, 
and. with tears in her eyes, she again implored her foster- 
mother not to send her away into slavery. 

The rajah went away not discouraged in his suit. He iriade 
the request that the girl should have a place in the family, and 
be taught European manners, and that she should be suitably 
dressed at his exj^ense. Until this time she had never sat at a 
table to eat, but had taken her food sitting on the floor or under 
a tree in the garden. The rajah informed the lady that he 
should retui^n to England in a few months, and on his way he 
would stop in Cairo, when he hoped to be able to win the girl 
for his wife, if at that time do objections should be raised. 

The rajah's wishes were carried out with the most satisfac- 
tory results. The young girl began to understand her future 
destiny, and was wilhng to acquu'e the education planned for 
her, although she continually regretted the day the rajah first 
saw her. 

The rajah, as arranged, in due time gave information of his 
return from India, and requested that suitable clothing should 
be provided for the girl if she were wilhng to become his wife. 
He came at the promised time, and the gu-l was now willing to 
accept him as her husband. Her father, an European, living 
in Alexandria, was found, and informed that his presence was 



" THE GIFT OF THE NILE." 75 

desired that he might give his unknown daughter in marriage. 
The mother, a poor Egyptian don key -driver, hving in a mud 
hovel, was entirely ignorant of what was in store for her child. 

The marriage was celebrated in the mission house, upon 
which occasion the rajah gave the directress £1,000 sterling, to 
invest in such a way as she might deem advisable to advance the 
Christian education of the poor children in Cairo. Upon every 
anniversary of the wedding day, which occurred many years 
ago, the sum of £1,000 has been received for the mission work. 
With this large yearly donation, a residence, a church, and a 
school-house have been built for the American Mission in Cairo. 

The rajah was true to his word. He placed his wife in a 
separate apartment in his palace and provided her with teach- 
ers. At the end of two years she was presented at Court, and 
from that time forward a new life was opened to her. She 
received the title of princess, and shared her husband's position 
in society, and became what she most desired to be, a bene- 
factor of the poor and wretched. 

The valley of the river Nile is made very productive by the 
yearly inundations which occur at certain seasons of the year, 
leaving a deposit of rich alluvial soil, thus changing the desert 
land for miles back from the river shores into rich grain fields. 
By irrigation the sandy soil of Cairo is transposed into beauti- 
ful gardens and made to blossom and bear fruit luxuriantly. 
Herodotus called Egypt "the gift of the Nile," because the 
country owes its productiveness to the overflowing of the river, 
without which the entire country would be a desert. In 
ancient times the long valley of the Nile was called the granary 
of Rome. 

There are about four hundred mosques or Mohammedan 
houses of worship in Cairo, and every mosque has a school 
attached, where, if nothing more is taught, the children are at 
least instructed in the principles of their religion. As soon as 



7fi BY LAND AND SEA. 

a Mohammedan child can talk it is taught to recite, '* I testify 
that there is no deity but God, and I testify that Mohammed is 
his prophet." They must also recite daily portions from the 
Koran. The weekly sum of three cents is paid for school 
tuition. 

The dervishes of Cairo are a very unprepossessing people 
to look at. They have two rehgious orders ; one is called the 
howhng and the other the dancing dervishes. They may have 
famihes, but must spend two nights a week in their convents. 
Their rehgion consists mainly in mortifying the flesh, repeat- 
ing prayers and performing exercises in dancing and howhng. 
They observe a weekly fast of twelve hours, and hold meet- 
ings twice a week for dancing and howling. There are no 
women in these ordei^. By a backsheesh, or gift, I obtained 
admission to one of their rehgious meetings. Thirty men 
took part in it. They began by dancing in a semi-circle in 
front of the sheik, or chief, and having made salaams, they 
moved backward and forward in a circle around the sheik, 
kneehng on blankets. After having bowed ilieir heads repeat- 
edly to the floor, they began then- devotions by making incom- 
prehensible movements with the arms, accompanied by horrid 
tones from several discordant musical instruments. Eising, 
they again bowed their heads low, and then began a rapid 
dancing movement performed in a circle around the sheik, all 
moving together in unison and iu time with the music. As 
the music increased in rapidity and became louder, the 
devotees increased the violence of their movements, until their 
disheveled hah' made them still more hideous, and then- 
vociferations were intensified to an almost deafening degree. 
After a time they began whu*hng, their bodies spinning around 
like tojDS ; the faster the music the quicker then- motions and 
rbe more piercing their shrieks became. Suddenly at the beat 
of a drum the cu'cle of whirling fanatics broke, and again 



SACRED LOCALITIES. 77 

advancing in a seini-circle before the sheik, they repeated their 
salutations, put on the dirty robes they had cast otf at the 
commencement of the ceremony and fell down on the floor 
exhausted. 

According to tradition Cairo is a very interesting landmark 
in biblical history. We read that on a certain occasion Pha- 
raoh's daughter went down to the river to take a bath, and 
there found a young child hidden in the deep grass on the river 
bank, and that she took the infant to herself and named him 
Moses, meaning drawn out of the water. A little thicket of 
bulrushes just on the shore of the Nile, in the heart'of the town, 
is said .to have been the very spot where the infant Moses was 
concealed by his mother from the executioner of Pharaoh, 
King of Egypt. 

At Heliopolis, now a wretched Arabian town of mud houses 
about an hour's drive from Cairo, is the old sycamore tree under 
which it is said Joseph and Mary, with the infant Jesus, rested 
during their flight into Egypt. This tradition renders the tree 
an object of great interest to the Christian tourist, who often 
performs his devotions there. It is called the "Virgin's Tree." 
Its trunk near the base is about ten feet in diameter, and its 
wide-spreading branches shade a large area of ground. It is 
enclosed by a high fence, else there would not be left a branch 
of this tree by the insatiable memento-collecting tourist, who 
would have carried it all away long before this. 

Near Suez, a few hours' distance from Cairo, is the head of 
the Red Sea, where the children of Israel crossed over when 
they were pursued by the Egyptians. We read in the Bible 
that the waters parted, rolled up on both sides like walls, and 
the Israehtes crossed over on dry land ; but wiien their pursuers 
came upon the opposite bank and entered upon the dry path, 
the waters immediately came together and they were swallowed 
up in the deep. It is a fact that at times at this point, from the 



78 B Y LAND AXD SEA. 

operation of the tides and winds, the waters do actually recede 
so as to leave almost a pathway across the sea. There is a ship 
canal now through the Isthmus of Suez, by which vessels, ply- 
ing between Europe and the East Indies, pass from the Mediter- 
ranean to the Red Sea It was made under the direction of the 
famous civil engineer. Count de Lesseps. 



CHAT VII. 



ARABIA AND INDIA. 



Sailing Down the Eed Sea— Mount Sinai and the Arabians — 
Mohammed — The Divers — Jugglers and Snake-Charmers 
— Ostrich Droves — Into the Indian Ocean — The Cruelty 
OF AN African King — The Tower of Silence— Sun Wor- 
shipers — Burning the Body of his Wife — Thrown into 

the GrANGES — ThE RiCIIES OF AN INDIAN JUNGLE— ThE HoMES 

OF Calcutta — The Awful Fate of Hindoo Widows — A 
Tree that Shades more than Two Acres — Chaste — A 
Visit from the Rajah — His Present of Flowers and Fish 
AND Taffy Candy — Riding on an Elephant — Wreaths of 
Yellow Flowers in the Sacred River— A Million Years 
for a Hair — The Most Beautiful Structure in Existence 
— Walls of Precious Stones— Roses of Coral and Lilies 
OF Mother -of-Pearl — Diamonds and Rubies — The Boy 
FROM the Wolf's Den— Cashmere Shawls — The Peacock 
Throne — The Shah's Jeweled Turban. 

In my journey from Egypt to India I passed Mount Sinai, 
which is near Suez, where we stopped at the end of our last 
evening's chat. Mount Sinai is a very interesting landmark in 
bibUcal history ; the ten commandments were inscribed on two 
tablets of stone and given to Moses by the Lord. The moun- 
tain is a bare, rocky peak rising from the desert. There is a 
monastery on the side of the mountain, where travelers are 
entertained by the monks. But few people are seen there 
besides the wandering tribes of Arabs. The ancient Arabians 



80 BY LAND AND SEA. 

were a superstitious race ; their favorite study was the inter- 
pretation of dreams. They were very hospitable ; in the region 
of Mount Sinai they always kept the "fires of hospitality " blaz- 
ing at night, so that the weary pilgrims going to Mecca, the 
sacred city of the Mohammedans, could find a place of rest. 
They were as cruel in their revenge as they were generous in 
their hospitality. A willful offence was never forgiven. 

Mecca, which is far to the south of Mount Sinai, is a sacred 
city to the Mohammedans, because it was the birth-place of 
Mohammed. Mohammed was of obscure birth and a camel dri- 
ver, but he rose to be a great spiritual guide, simply by his 
honesty of purpose, the unselfishness of his daily life, and his 
constant devotion to the religious creed which he taught. He 
did not pretend to introduce a new religion ; he wished to restore 
the true primitive faith as it existed in the days of the patriarchs 
and prophets of the early times, as his people had fallen into 
the gross worship of idols. After he reached the years of man- 
hood he retired once a year to a cave near Mecca, where he 
devoted himself for one month to fasting, prayer and medita- 
tion. The great ambition of Mohammedans is to make a pil- 
grimage to Mecca, and pray at the tomb of their prophet which 
is there. All who have accomplished this devotional journey 
are called Hadjis ; and all who are descended from Mohammed 
wear a green turban, a color which they consider sacred. 

From Mount Sinai I sailed down the Eed Sea, along the 
shores of Arabia. I saw many coffee plantations on the moun- 
tain slopes on the coast of the Red Sea, with here and there the 
mud huts of the natives, and swarms of naked children gam- 
boling about in their sports near the shore. From the deck of 
our English steamer, when lying at anchor in the bay of Aden, 
I saw a dozen or more men and boys diving in the water for 
pennies and sixpences thrown from the deck of the vessel ; 
they also made many curious evolutions in the water, appar- 



JUGGLERS AND SNAKE-CHARMERS. 81 

ently as much at home there as are the fish. These divers 
would cKmb to the top of the ship's masts and, leaping into the 
water with a wooden ball in each hand, would come to the sur- 
face with the coin held between the teeth. 

I saw also at that time the jugglers and snake-charmers 
performing on the deck of the ship. They brought their snakes 
on board in bags, letting them out of the bags. The snake- 
charmers seemed to have perfect control over the reptiles by 
means of music from a rude wind instrument. When the per- 
formance was finished they put the snakes again into the bags, 
which were then snugly tied up. These magicians swarm on 
the decks of passenger vessels while at anchor in these seas. 
One of the most wonderful feats is to produce small pots of 
growing plants from their long, flowing sleeves, although they 
bare their arms to show the bystanders that they do not have 
the pots in their sleeves. If these impromptu showmen pick up 
a few sixpences they leave the ship jubilant over their success. 

And I saw many droves of ostriches, black, white and gray 
in color, roving around at will ; the vicinity of Aden is famous 
for ostrich farming ; the natives bring on board the passenger 
steamers bags of beautiful ostrich plumes and sell them at very 
moderate prices. 

As we proceeded on our voyage I caught glimpses of the 
coasts of Abyssinia and Nubia, and of the picturesque scenery 
on both sides of the narrow and rocky channel forming the 
entrance from the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean, called by the 
natives the Straits of Bab-el-Mandeb, but named by the English 
sailors "The Gate of Lamentation," because of the many acci- 
dents and shipwrecks which have happened there. I began now 
to realize that I was indeed far away from home, for the diver- 
sified prospect presented quite a different appearance to any- 
thing I had seen before. But on and on we sailed, reflecting 
the while on the vast difference between this eastern land and 



8L^ BY LAND AND SEA. 

our own country, and the incomparable situation of the two 
peoples. 

Arabia and Africa are parts of the world but little known 
by Americans from actual observation. They have not much 
attraction for the pleasure tourist. In fact, I think the curious 
traveler would find an unwelcome reception in some portions 
of these lands. There are constant dissensions among the 
tribes in the interior of Africa, and their warfare is carried on 
most barbarously. 

I have heard it related that in one of the African districts 
remote from the sea-coast occurs what might be called the 
annual anniversary of human sacrifice. It is the occasion 
when the king of a certain tribe chooses a wife, which he does 
once a year. A dozen of the finest of their maidens are selected 
and attired with feathers and ornamented with bright colors 
painted on the skin. After the customary hideous ceremony 
has been performed, which passes for a solemnity among these 
barbarians, these young girls are filed in review before the king, 
who is mounted on a horse, and from their number he chooses 
one for a wife, who is set up on the horse behind him. In the 
meantime, if any one of his wives become disagreeable to him, 
she is conducted into the column of the remaining eleven. At 
a signal the girls start upon a run for dear life in all directions, 
the mounted king chasing down all these poor creatures, tram- 
pling upon them and killing such as may fall by the way. If 
any succeed in making their escape in this terrible race, they 
are killed in solemn sacrifice. This horrible custom was begun 
generations ago by a very cruel king who wished to make of 
his people a tribe of warriors, and availed himself of his supreme 
right over the lives of his subjects in order to lessen the num- 
ber of women in his tribe. 

Our steamer arrived at the city of Bombay in India after 
an agreeable tropical voyage across the Indian ocean. I saw 



FAR SEES AND HINDOOS. 83 

in Bombay the Tower of Silence, the Parsees' burial place for 
the dead. It is a high, square built tower, open at the top, 
and has a small door at the base. In the place of a floor is an 
iron grating, and the vultures fly down from the top of the 
tower and take off the flesh from the bones, which when bared 
fall between the bars into a pit of quick-lime. 

The Parsees are descended from the ancient Persians. 
They are very earnest in their religious devotions. They wor- 
ship the sun, not only as the life-giving source of light and 
heat, but as a symbol of divinity. They kneel down wherever 
they chance to be at the hour of sunset and perform their 
devotions with their faces turned toward the west. They 
have no temples or houses of worship. They live together in 
large families, or groups of relations ; often as many as fifty 
persons live in one house. The Parsees in Bombay are a pic- 
turesque-looking people. They wear high sugar-loaf shaped 
hats, of black felt, wide flowing pantaloons of yellow or blue 
silk, a long frock tunic of another colored silk, confined at the 
waist by a silken girdle or a chain of gold or silver, and an 
aigrette of precious stones on the left breast. The little boys 
are dressed exactly like their fathers. Parsee women are not 
seen in the streets ; they are strictly domestic, rarely leaving 
their houses. The Parsees are fond of traveling and go about 
the world considerably. They are a prosperous people ; in 
Boi^ibay they are chiefly merchants and do most of the bank- 
ing business. 

I found in my travels a great difference in the methods 
of disposing of the dead among the nations. The Hindoos 
burn the dead on funeral pyres. Cremation is performed 
by the Hindoos in an open court ; the mourners prepare the 
pile of wood upon which to lay the body; after applying 
the torch they wait to see the body consumed to ashes, and 
then move sorrowfully away. 



84 B V LAND AND SEA. 

The following account of the burning of a dead person in 
Calcutta was related to me by one who was present on.that 
occasion. The remains of a woman were brought to the court 
on a board by two coolies, or laborers ; the husband of the 
deceased began at once to bargain for the wood wanted for the 
pyre. When the necessary amount was secured it was piled 
up to the height of about four feet on the stone flagging in the 
yard. The body, covered w'ith a piece of coarse canvas, was 
then laid upon the pile of wood ; the husband partly uncov- 
ered it and removed the rings, anklets and bangles, and then 
anointed the body with grease. Some fine-cut wood was laid 
over it bv a coolie, after which a Hindoo priest advanced, and 
the bereaved man threw a half-dozen copper pieces at his feet. 
The priest demanded more, and tkree more pieces were given, 
which were all the man had. Then a small basin containing 
rice and millet-seed mixed with goats' milk was brought and 
handed to the husband, together with two small sticks of 
sandal- wood. The priest blessed these articles, and the hus- 
band placed the sticks at the sides of the face of the dead 
woman, and put some of the mixture into the mouth and 
upon the neck. He then took a hghted fagot from the priest 
and went three times around the pyre, swinging the flaming 
fagot three times on each round, after which he set fire to the 
wood, and soon the pile was brightly blazing. The mourning 
Hindoo did not leave the ground until the last spark of fire had 
disappeared ; he then turned sadly away, but he was not per- 
mitted to leave the ground until he had remunerated the 
coolie who had assisted ; this he was not able to do until my 
informant gave him a few coppers, which enabled him to 
satisfy the demands of the coohe. 

Among the better classes of the Hindoos, the ashes of the 
dead, together with the ashes of the consumed wood, are gath- 
ered up and thrown into the Ganges river, when it is possible 



HINDOOS' CUSTOMS AND COSTUMES. 85 

to do so. The waters of the Ganges and also the waters of its 
various branches are considered sacred. 

The Hindoos and Parsees are distinct peoples in appear- 
ance and customs, and totally different in their mode of life. 

From Bombay to Calcutta by rail is about five days' jour- 
ney. There is an immense tract of territory between these two 
cities which as yet has been scarcely trodden by man. It is 
inhabited only by birds, beasts and reptiles. Judging from the 
borders of this impenetrable jungle which I have seen, there 
must be within it untold treasures of beautiful woods, and an 
almost endless variety of tropical flora and fruits. This 
unknown territory is an inheritance for future generations, 
when its mysteries must be revealed and it must yield up its 
products as the demand for them increases. 

Among the Hindoos the rajahs or governors of provinces 
dress very richly. They dress in velvets of all colors, embroid- 
ered with seed pearls ; often precious stones are wrought in 
their garments, and they wear the red fez or cap decorated with 
aigrettes of feathers and jewels. The merchant class wear 
cashmere shawls, of a quality according to their rank and riches, 
thrown over the shoulders and waist, leaving the right arm 
bare, and long white cloth pantaloons, and a white cotton scarf 
twisted around the head. The Hindoo women seldom appear 
on foot in the streets of the large cities ; they go about in pal- 
anquins, or palkas, as they are called by the foreigners. The 
palka is a long box, one side of which can be let down, with 
windows upon both sides, ; it contains a cushion and a pillow. 
The person takes a recumbent position ; and when nicely packed 
away the side is closed up, and two coolies take up the convey- 
ance with handles at each end and move along with a steady 
and measured tread. The occupant may read as he goes on his 
way, the movement of the palka being so steady there is scarcely 
a jar perceptible. 



86 BY LAND AND SEA. 

Calcutta is now within comparatively easy reach of the 
tourist in search of fresh objects to interest and entertain. It 
is not so many years ago, however, that a traveler was almost 
unknown in this far-off corner of the world. But the com- 
fortable facilities offered by the steamships and railroads in the 
East at the present day, invite one to these distant wanderings. 
The more the globe is traversed the smaller it appears. 

The facilities for travel by land and water have very greatly 
increased in the last twenty years, and according to the experi- 
ence of the present age, the word of command for all is onward, 
onward. 

A large portion of Calcutta is now like any other European 
city, having been built mostly by the English, who, as you know, 
rale India. In the native quarter the Hindoo home, with all its 
peculiar customs, is still seen. Entire families, including grand- 
parents, parents and children, live in enclosures called com- 
pounds, each family having its own apartment. These com- 
pounds or homesteads pass from one generation to another. A 
compound or Indian mansion is a one-story building constructed 
around an open court, which has but one entrance from the 
street. The compound may be large or small, depending on the 
rank and wealth of the family. In an obscure corner of the 
building is an apartment assigned to the invalids among the 
women and children, who are not allowed to remain with those 
members of the family who are in health. What seems strange 
and inhuman to us is that the sick are attended only by serv- 
ants, never by members of the family. 

When the sons marry they bring their wives to the family 
compound, and occupy such apartment as the elder of the 
family^ — the father or eldest son — may assign to them. If the 
mother of the family is left a widow, she resigns her rank, her 
apartment and her jewels at once to the eldest married son, 
who bestows his mother's rank and possessions on his own 



THE HINDOO FUNERAL PYRE. 87 

wife. The mother then descends to the place of the lowest 
menial, really becoming of no account where she once lived 
almost as a sovereign, and becomes henceforth subject to the 
bidding of the family. However, if she is a woman of unusual 
intelligence she may sometimes be called in to give her advice 
on occasions of important family councils. It was because of 
her degradation that in former days the widow preferred to 
throw herself upon the funeral pyre of her husband and mingle 
her own ashes with his, rather than survive him and submit to 
the inevitable disgrace. But this horrible custom is a thing of 
the past in all localities where the English authority is felt, and 
without doubt in time it will entirely disappear. 

One might ask how could it be possible that a woman in her 
sane mind, and of her own free will, could have the courage, or 
desperation, to throw herself upon a pile of burning wood ? To 
us it seems incredible. But such was the custom among the 
Hindoos for many centuries. By request of the widow the near- 
est of kin, or the most affectionate one of the children, was 
chosen to assist her in the hour when she was to be subjected to 
this dreadful death. The woman, called the suttee, is made 
intoxicated by drinking the tea of a certain herb that has a pow- 
erfully intoxicating effect, and when she had become nearly 
senseless and scarcely able to stand, the person chosen for that 
purpose led her to the burning pyre and pushed her face down- 
ward upon it. Immediately she became suffocated and generally 
realized but little of the torture of burning to death. 

The compound has its zenana, or women's quarters. The 
young girls live together, and entirely separate from the young 
boys. The wife serves the husband while he eats ; now, follow- 
ing the European custom, he sits at a table, but the wife eats 
her meals sitting upon a mat on the floor, and never in the pres- 
ence of her husband. 

Among the Hindoos little girls are generally promised in 



88 BY LAND AND SEA. 

marriage at the age of eight to twelve years, sometimes even 
younger. As a recognition of this fact of her betrothal a small 
mark is made on the child's forehead with red paint, which is 
kept there until the girl is taken by the husband to his paternal 
compound. After the girl leaves her mother she seldom, or per- 
haps never, has the opportunity of meeting her family again. 

The elder brother in a Hindoo family is not permitted to see 
the face of a younger brother's wife, but the younger brother 
may see and meet the elder brother's wife, as she is at any time 
liable to become the mistress of the household by the death of 
the mother. A cage life indeed is that of the Hindoo women. 

The palace of the English viceroy, or Governor General of 
India, at Calcutta, is a noble building. Its appearance is not 
unlike that of the White House in Washington, but far more 
imposing. All the department buildings necessary to the office 
of the viceroy, together with a chapel, are within the same 
enclosure with the palace. 

In the suburbs of Calcutta may be seen the largest banyan 
tree known to be in existence. Its main trunk has a circumfer- 
ence of more than fifty feet, and there are more than two hun- 
dred and twenty-five other stocks, which reach to the ground 
like smaller trunks, the most of them being good-sized trees ; 
over two acres of ground are shaded by this patriarchal banyan. 

The banyan is peculiar to India ; it is the ordinary shade 
tree in the cities and smaller towns. As the stocks multiply too 
fast for the space, they are cut off. The banyan sends its shoots 
downward from the branches, which take root in the ground 
and become stocks of other trees ; in this manner they spread 
over a large surface. As soon as a new shoot becomes rooted 
it sends out new branches near the parent branch where it 
started, and thus in time a small forest comes from one stock. 
I have heard that there was once a banyan on the Nerbuddah 
river, in the north of Hindostan, that had three hundred and 



CASTES IN HINDOSTAN, 89 

fifty stocks, under whose shade seven thousand men could 
stand. The larger part of this tree was carried away by an 
inundation of the river. 

From Calcutta we proceeded to Delhi, in the north of 
India. On the journey I tarried a little time at Benares, situ- 
ated on the Granges river. Here is the Mecca or great pilgrim 
resort of Hindostan and the home of the Brahmin priesthood. 
In Benares distinction in caste, or prescribed social rank, pre- 
vails more strictly, if possible, than elsewhere in Hindostan. 
There are four principal castes among the Hindoos ; the highest 
is that of the Brahmins, who are born to the priesthood. A 
Hindoo would rather prefer the most menial service if it secured 
him the caste of the Brahmins, by which he could be privileged 
to wear the sacred white cord of their order over his right 
shoulder, than to belong to a lower caste with wealth at his 
command. They can eat only with those of their own caste. 
They must not even cook their food in vessels owned by persons 
of a lower caste, nor partake of food handled by them. Conse- 
quently they can never leave their own country. The Brah- 
mins are regarded by the three other castes with profound 
veneration. They alone can officiate in the priesthood. Their 
high caste forbids them from following the ordinary ways of 
gaining a living ; they generally depend upon alms for support. 
They may receive large gifts, in which case a blessing is 
granted the giver which is supposed to blot out every sin, and 
to assure a paradise upon earth. The different castes neither eat 
nor drink together, nor intermarry. They only associate in 
some great religious festivals. I have heard it said that there 
is a peculiar caste among the Hindoos holding itself so supeiior 
above all others that it will not permit its daughters to marry, 
because intermarriage is forbidden, and there is no caste high 
enough for them. 

But the sons are permitted to wed women of another caste. 



90 BY LAND AND SEA. 

These distinctions of caste not only prevent the general eleva- 
tion of the people, as may easily be supposed, but check the 
efforts made by others for their improvement. 

Once so far awa^^ from home in our wanderings as to be in 
Benares, we thought it agreeable to prolong our stay and called 
to dehver a letter of introduction to Eajah Sambhee Narayana 
Sinhar, but he was not at home. An hour afterward he came 
in grand state to return the visit. He was dressed in blue silk 
trousers, a long pink silk frock, and yellow-toed slippers. On 
his fez was a cluster of precious stones. His servants, a half- 
dozen in number, were attired in gay colors, after the Eastern 
fashion. His coach was painted red, and was heavily gilded, 
and the trappings of the horses were gorgeous. The rajah 
speaks Enghsh fluently ; he was educated at Queen's College in 
Benares. While speaking of the nobihty of India, he said the 
rajahs often had from two to six hundred servants and retainers. 
It is said that most of these retainers serve without wages in 
the form of money, but they obtain rice and fish from their 
master's stores. They also receive many presents from visitors, 
and often a lodging as well. The rajah proposed to place at our 
service on the following day one of his elephants fully equipped 
and several of his servants to escort us through the city, and a 
boat that we might see some of the sights on the Gauges. Of 
coui'se this offer was accepted with much pleasure. 

Soon after the rajah's departure two of his servants returned, 
bringing baskets containing flowers, fruits, vegetables, an 
immense fish, a package of almonds, and a large cake of taffy 
candy made of brown sugar. Formerly it w'as the custom of 
the rajahs to give visitors bearing letters of introduction cash- 
mere shawis : but unhappily for the guests this custom is fall- 
ing out of use. 

On the following day, according to promise, the rajah's ele- 
phant, one of a half-dozen, and fully as large as Barnum's 



SACRED WATER FROM THE GANGES. ^1 

famous Jumbo, splendidly equipped with a howdah, or saddle, 
covered with red velvet and fringed with gold and spangles, 
made his appearance. This immense creature knelt down, 
and by means of a ladder we mounted to the howdah. Three 
servants took their places behind us and the driver seated him- 
self astride the animal's neck. From time to time the elephant 
turned his head to look at us, as if he suspected that he was 
engaged in the unworthy service of carrying "Christian dogs," 
as we foreigners are called. However, he was not refractory, 
and readily obeyed the spear by which the mahout, or driver, 
guided him. Although horses and donkeys of India see ele- 
phants daily on the roads, they always show signs of fright 
when, they come in their way. We made an excursion of four 
miles in this novel way. We met several naked dead bodies 
being carried to the crematory ground, followed by coolies bear- 
ing on their heads the wood for the fires. 

Going along the Ganges I saw wreaths of yellow flowers 
floating on the water, which had been placed on the boxes con- 
taining the ashes of the dead who had been burned on the fun- 
eral pyres, and which had been consigned to the sacred waters. 

I also saw the dead body of a child, with a wreath of yellow 
flowers around its neck, floating down the river. I was told 
that praying machines were dipped in the river and swung with 
solemn ceremony over the heads of devotees who had made long- 
pilgrimages from the interior to reach the holy city of Benares. 
The water from the Ganges is drunk by the people all over India 
as sacred and most beneficial to guard against sickness and 
death. 

Speaking of the belief of the Hindoos in the sacredness of 
the waters of the Ganges, I am reminded that when in Calcutta 
I was told that there was a devout Hindoo living in Madras, in 
the southern part of Hindostan, so devoted to his belief in the 
holiness of the Ganges water that he had brought to him from 



92 BY LAND AND SEA. 

Calcutta every day a large cask of this water. He would allow 
no other for drinking to be used in his household. 

Next to Benares, Allahabad, called by the natives the ' ' City 
of God," is considered the hohest city in existence. It is situ- 
ated just at the meeting of the Jamma River with the Granges. 
The Hindoos believe that there is a third invisible and celestial 
river, which flows du-ect from heaven and unites with those two 
rivers at Allahabad. PilgTims are constantly coming to this 
place to render their devotions to this imaginary river. On their 
aiTival, they have their heads and beards carefully shaved, and 
the hair is thrown into the stream. Their sacred "^Titings 
promise that for every hair thus disposed of, a million of years 
is assui'ed the behever in paradise. 

We sometimes read in the newspapers of whole cities and 
towns along the Ganges being destroyed by inundations. Such 
calamities can well happen. One must understand, however, 
that the houses are not generally strong and substantially con- 
structed, but only built of sun-dried mud. They are not expected 
to withstand the heavy deluges that occasionally visit that coun- 
try. A destroyed town is quickly rebuilt. As soon as the rains 
cease the mud, or soft clay, is formed into blocks and dried in 
the sun, the heat being very great, and the new house is built, 
as it were, in a day. The walls are not more than six feet high 
and no interior finish is required. A house of this kind comes 
quickly into existence. 

I could prolong my chat about Benares indefinitely had I 
the time, for everything one sees in this far-off land is very 
novel and full of interest, but I want to speak of what I saw in 
the north of India. 

Agra and Delhi are two of the important cities in India. 
Agra contains "the priceless pearl and India's pride," as the 
Taje-3IehdUe is called. This is a mausoleum erected by Shah 
Jehan in the memory of his favorite wife, called Moomtaz-i- 



-••-♦♦^I 







A FAMOUS MAUSOLEUM. 93 

Miihul, or "Exalted One of the Palace." Shah Jehan was the 
reigning monarch of this part of India two hundred and fifty 
years ago. Although there are in India other marble edifices of 
wonderful structure and inlaid with beautiful stones, inside 
and outside, nevertheless the Taje is not only the most beauti- 
ful building of that country, but is unsurpassed by any other in 
the world. It now shows some signs of decay produced by 
ruthless conquerors or by the passing touches of time. But 
in its original splendor and glory, the Taje was a masterpiece 
of architecture, matchless as a work of art ; even now it is 
conceded to be the most exquisitely beautiful structure in exist- 
ence. 

It only retained its original splendor for a short period. A 
hostile tribe living beyond the Himalaya mountains, having 
heard of this magnificent pile, invaded the country with a 
horde of robbers, conquered ■ Agra and sadly marred the beauti- 
ful mausoleum of which I speak, taking from its marble waUs 
many of the precious stones inlaid therein. A description- 
even imperfect, it may be — of this wonderful structure in the 
north of India will enter our chat this evening and I am sure it 
will be of interest. 

This building stands on a foundation of red sandstone reach- 
ing twelve feet above the ground. It is octagonal in form ; in 
architecture it is purely Saracenic. The roof is seventy feet 
above the foundation ; the doDie is surmounted by a gilt cres- 
cent, the top of which is two hundred and sixty feet from the 
foundation. The dome was originally covered with plates of 
solid gold. The walls, outside and inside, are inlaid with coral, 
amethyst, blood-stone, mother-of pearl, lapis-lazuli, agates of 
rich colors, carnelian stone in various tints, jasper, and many 
beautiful stones unknown in European countries, besides rare 
marbles and richly gold-veined alabaster from Egypt. The 
more precious stones, especially diamonds and rubies, whicli are 



04 B Y LAND AXD SEA. 

now gone, were placed near the base of the building, as the 
defaced walls indicate. 

At the two entrances were originally massive silver doors, 
studded each one with a thousand and one hundi-ed silver-headed 
nails. The plunderers tore off all the gold and silver and melted 
them into ingots for more easy transportation. 

Xeither glass nor wood nor any common metal was incor- 
porated in this building. Both the outside and inside have the 
same style of ornamentation in inlaid work. The designs are 
largely floral and scroll work. The arches over the doors and 
windows, whose lines continue to the flooi', are decorated with 
festoons and veins of convolvuh in lapis-lazuli and blood-stone. 
Entire cbaptere from the Koran are inlaid with black marble on 
the walls. The roses are wrought in coral and carnehau. I 
counted in one rose eighty pieces of shaded coral. The lilies 
are wrought in mother-of-pearl, with stems and leaves of blood- 
stone. The various species of flowers are represented by stones 
having the coloi'S of the natural flowers. 

The tombs of Shah Jehan and the princess are of white mar- 
ble, richly decorated with mosaic. Originally there were dia- 
monds, rubies, emeralds and turquoises as large as Enghsh wal- 
nuts set in the decorations; but nothing of this valuable inlaid 
work remains except the leaves, vines, and tracery work in less 
valuable stones. 

The cost of tliis magnificeut building, as Jlr. Bayard Taylor 
tell us, cannot be easily estimated. Most of the labor was done 
by slaves, who received only a smaU allowance of provisions of 
rice, corn, fish, and wild fruits. Much of the material was con- 
tributed by neighboring tribes, and for other portions of the 
materials levies were made upon dependent tribes. 

Although the Taje is enchanting by moonlight, it is more 
resplendent in the sunhght. I had the good fortune to see this 
marvel of beauty under most favorable circumstances. In the 



MARBLE PALACES LN AGRA. 95 

light of the early morning it was tinged with a roseate color ; 
the white marble appeared like a pale coral ; by the mid-day 
sun it sparkled as if studded with colored stars ; in the twilight 
it had a soft blue shading of color. By the artificial illumina- 
tion, as I saw^ it> its varied beauties are still more exquisite. 

The Taje may be called a living poem of wondrous beauty, 
suggested by the " Tales of the Arabian Nights." 

This mausoleum was erected in 1600. Tavernier, the 
renowned French traveler of his time, who records having seen 
the structure in process of construction, tells us that twenty 
thousand men were occupied seventeen years in its building. 
During the period of the erection of the tomb there was great 
mortality among the laborers, and the peasantry cried out : 
" Have mercy, O God, on our distress, 
For we die, too, with the princess." 

Long before the tomb was finished the Princess Moomtaz 
died, and her remains were placed in the unfinished mausoleum ; 
the Shah soon followed his favorite and was placed beside her in 
the crypt of the tomb. 

Besides this mausoleum there are other beautiful mar- 
ble palaces in Agra, remembrances of the age of India's glory 
and splendor, to describe which would make our chat too long, 
for there is yet more to include in this chapter on India. But I 
cannot forbear telhng you of a very strange human being that 
I saw at the English mission school near Agra. He was a young 
man of about twenty years of age who had been taken from a 
wolf's den twelve years before. He was discovered in company 
with a she- wolf, and crept about on his hands and feet. The 
animal had apparently accepted the boy as her own offspring, 
It is supposed he had been carried off in infancy by the wolf, 
and had been suckled and cared for by the animal. The boy is 
called "Saturday," because he was discovered and captured on 
that day. 



96 BY LAND AND SEA. 

For some time after being reclaimed he was wild and intract- 
able, and howled like a wolf, and appeared very unhappy away 
from the mother wolf ; he would eat only raw meat. But grad- 
ually and by kind treatment he was taught to stand upon his 
feet and to walk without getting down on "all fours." But he 
still walked with the same awkward gait as trained quadrupeds 
do on their hind feet. It has required years of time and long 
continued patience on the part of his manager to teach him the 
few short words he can now utter. Although he understands 
the commands given him, he still makes known his wants by 
signs and ejaculations. His eyes have a wild look, and he keeps 
his lower jaw in constant motion. His face is not disagreeably 
ugly, although it is marked with scars, supposed to have come 
from the wounds made by the wolf. He is quite tame now and 
really ver}^ kindly disposed. 

I must take my young readers as far as Delhi, although they 
may think they have remained long enough already in the dis- 
tant land of India. Delhi is not far from the foot-hills of the 
Himalaya mountains, called by the natives the Halls of Snow, 
and is one of the principal points of commerce in the cashmere 
shawls so highly appreciated the world over. The shawls are 
brought from the mountain districts, where they are made, to 
this place on the backs of elephants and camels. However, 
they must first pass through Serinagur, a town north of Delhi, 
where the rajah, or governor of the province, collects a tax on 
every shawl manufactured for sale either at home or for export- 
ation. From Delhi they are taken to Calcutta, the general ship- 
ping market for all Indian products. 

We sometimes call India shawls camel's -hair shawls, but this 
is a misnomer. Shawls and cloths made of the hair of camels 
are very coarse and heavy, and are only used by soldiers and 
natives for blankets. The wool of which the fine shawls are made 
is from the cashmere goat of the Himalaya mountain districts. 



98 BY LAND AND SEA. 

is in the form of a peacock's tail with full spread feathers, the 
colors of the peacock plumage being imitated by the various 
colored precious stones set in gold. No labor or cost was spared 
to produce the finest gems. It was supported by six feet of 
massive gold and set with rubies, emeralds and diamonds. 
When the Shah sat upon his throne he wore a turban of cloth 
of gold, having a bird like a heron wrought upon it, whose feet 
were covered with diamonds of large size, and a large oriental 
topaz that shone like the sun was inserted in front of the 
turban. ^ 

It is said that the father of the Shah induced the man- 
ufacture of this costly throne to display the wealth of 
precious stones that had been amassed in the royal treasury by 
despoiling the rich rajahs of neighboring provinces, and from 
the presents which the rajahs of smaller provinces were obliged 
to make upon certain yearly festal days. 

This throne with all its jewels is now in the possession of 
the Shah of Persia, and stands in the grand audience chamber 
of his palace at Teheran. It has been described to me by the 
wife of the late United States Minister to Persia, Mrs. B., who 
spent several years at that court. Many of the jewels are still 
uncut, although the larger number are cut. It is the most bril- 
liant combination of jewels in existence. 

After having seen many of these wonderful Indian palaces 
composed of marble and precious stones, I am half inclined to 
think that some of the tales of the "Thousand and One Nights " 
are founded on facts, and are not altogether creatures of the 
imagination, for the events and interior scenes of life within 
their walls must have been to a certain extent in correspondence 
with the gorgeousness of the exterior of their palaces. 



CHAT VIII. 



CHINA. 



Landing through the Surf at Madras— Wind in the Chinese 
Sea — Fighting a Typhoon — Gems in Natives' Ears — The 
Travelers' Palm — Hong Kong— In the Bungalow — Feet 
TOO Small for Walking — The Chinese Merchant is 
A Gentleman and Carries a Fan — The Jade Stone — Chi- 
nese Marriages— The Bride and Groom not Consulted— 
The Wailing Before the Marriage — Married Before She 
Sees her Husband — Judged by her Feet — Eating Eggs 
Two Years Old — Must Pay to Keep Away the Cemeteries 
— Burial Mounds — In the Lime Pit — A Bow-wow-wow 
Eagout— Confucius — His Belief and his Epitaph — The 
Judge who Insisted that the World was Flat — The 
Fatal Girdle of Silk — Boat Life in China — Children on 

AND IN the ErVER — An IMMENSE EMPIRE — ElCE AND SiLK — 

The Imitation Chinaman. 

From the north of India we directed our course for China, 
and our steamer touched at Madras, in the south of Hindostan. 
There is no good harbor there, and because of the high surf the 
steamer anchored a considerable distance from the land. I was 
quite amused by the manner of taking on and landing passen- 
gers at that port. It was something after this wise : The 
person is tied in an arm chair, which is swung off by ropes run- 
ning from the yard-arm in order to clear the ship, and then let 
down to reach a small boat which is dancing continually and 
wildly on the waves and dashing against the side of the ship. 



100 BY LAND AND SEA, 

While suspended over the side of .the vessel waiting for a pro- 
pitious wave to bring the little craft up to the right position, 
the passenger himself must decide the moment when to disem- 
bark from the chair, and at a word or gesture a half-dozen of 
the boatmen quickly grapple the side of the ship with their 
long iron hooks, and so steady the little boat somewhat, while 
others grasp the chair, from which the passenger frees himself 
with a nervous haste, and takes a seat as best he can in the 
bottom of the boat and is then rowed ashore through a heavy 
and foaming surf. These surf boats are quite deep and made 
of bark closely joined together by bamboo splints. It requires 
twelve men to manage one of these canoes. But notwithstand- 
ing the dangers of boarding a ship at anchor, the snake-charm- 
ers, jugglers and hucksters of all kinds of small wares do not 
hesitate to venture on board in the hope of picking up a few 
pennies. 

The sea along the coast of China is subject to typhoons or 
hurricanes twice a year during the change of the monsoons, or 
trade-winds. These changes occur in the spring and autumn, 
after which the prevailing winds blow in one direction contin- 
ually for several months. The vessels going with the winds 
have fair sailing, but woe to those going in the contrary direc- 
tion, or to those which are caught in the change of the mon- 
soons ; for in the case of the latter the voyage is long and bois- 
terous, and a ship which meets the change of monsoon is often 
lost. 

Before reaching China we encountered a typhoon ; it was a 
frightful struggle between the ship and the waves. In addition 
to the fury of the wind the rain was falling in blinding torrents. 
At times the great ship was lifted almost out of the water as a 
tremendous roller ploughed under her bow and sent her high up 
in the air ; then came alongside another mountain wave and 
gave the ship a heavy blow, from which she would bound like a 



IN AND ABOUT CEYLON. 101 

foot-ball and then settle down on one side upon her beam-ends ; 
and again, before the ship could right herself, another immense 
wave would overtake the preceding one and sweep along the 
deck, beating her almost entirely under water ; then the ship 
seemed to give a leap as if to free herself from the tremendous 
grip of the waves, and for a moment appeared to settle steadily 
down between two monster surges, but only to rise upon other 
and yet higher billows. This movement of the ship continued 
for hours. But the skill of the navigator triumphs over the 
furies of the tempest, and we are safe at last in a tranquil sea. 
What sensations for all on board a ship during a typhoon! Expe- 
rience only can give one an idea of its terrors. 

After passing Madras we touched for a short time at the 
island of Ceylon, noted for its cocoanut forests, and cactus jun- 
gles alive with wild animals, monkeys and beautifully plumaged 
birds, besides its unlimited wealth of precious stones. Many of 
the natives, both men and women, wear uncut and unpolished 
precious stones which lapidaries could manipulate into beauti- 
ful gems. 

The Cingalese women wear nose rings, from which oftentimes 
depend pearls and uncut emeralds, or rubies and sapphires, while 
the men may perhaps have on each ear three pearls, or stones of 
value, attached to rings by means of holes drilled through them. 
American and European jewel dealers have their agents in Cey- 
lon, on the lookout for the beautiful gems found there, and who 
procure them as soon as offered for sale. 

Among the great variety of curious trees growing in these 
tropical countries is a species of palm found in Ceylon, which 
contains in the hollow stem of its leaf a sweet, green, aromatic 
water, cool and delicious, to quench thirst. The stem is tapped 
near its base, and from this incision a glassful of the refreshing 
liquid is obtained. The cut grows together quickly, and the 
stem soon fills again with the sap. This palm tree is very wel- 



102 BY LAND AND SEA. 

come to those traveling through the island, and hence it is 
called the ''traveler's }3alm.'" It bears a thick, green, fan-shaped 
leaf. 

After a generally pleasant voyage, Victoria Mountain, rising 
above Hong Kong, came in sight. Hong Kong is rather an Eng- 
Hsh than a Chinese city, although there is a large Chinese quarter 
where the natives may hve undisturbed after their own way of 
life. The city is built upon the mountain slopes, which are ter- 
raced from the water's edge half-way up the mountain side. 

Upon the top of the mountain is a picturesque bungalow, 
or ^dlla, in the midst of a beautiful garden where there are fruits 
and vegetables ripening and maturing all the year round. This 
bungalow is occupied by the Enghsh Chief Justice. The for- 
eigners and better class of natives occupy bungalows ; these 
houses are well built of wood, one story high, with a steep and 
high gable roof thickly thatched with straw, and surrounded on 
all sides with a wide veranda, provided with rolling curtains 
of straw matting, which are let down to exclude the sunshine 
during the heat of the day. The verandas are furnished with 
bamboo extension chairs, tables, pots of green plants, and cages 
of singing birds. In fact the veranda is the daily rendezvous 
for the family. The morning coffee and the evening tea are 
taken there. 

Hong Kong is a large commercial city under British govern- 
ment. The Chinese women of rank are never seen walking in 
the streets. They go about in sedan chaii-s, quite shut in by 
blinds or curtains. The custom of cramping their feet out of 
their natural shape prevents much walking by them. Among 
the coolie, or working population, the women do not distort the 
feet ; they are born to work, and must have the full use of 
them. 

The Chinese merchant is a gentleman. He sits at a table 
at his ease in his httle shop, and has two or thi-ee servants to 



CHINESE CUSTOMS. 103 

do his bidding in showing articles for sale. He is dressed in a 
blue silk blouse, his hair is nicely plaited with artificial hair 
down to his feet ; his fan — a Chinese gentleman must have a fan 
— is tucked down the back over the left shoulder and under his 
blouse, from whence he draws it out at his pleasure, and he can 
handle it quite as coquettishly as any young lady. The nails 
of the little fingers are allowed to grow at least a quarter of an 
inch from the end of the fingers. This is proof positive that he 
is a gentleman, and performs no manual labor. While he is 
affable in making sales, he is very earnest in manner and sel- 
dom smiles. To Europeans he speaks what is called "pidgin- 
English," which runs something as follows : The merchant we 
will suppose sends the servant up stairs to get a roll of silk to 
show to a lady customer, and he says, " Johnny, runny topside, 
very quickly — you sabe — and catchee me roily silk ; Melican lady 
buy some." Unless there is a probability of making a sale, the 
merchant appears very much absorbed in his counting board, 
(a machine with which he solves mathematical problems,) and 
pays but little attention to the shopper. 

Of all the precious stones the Chinese prize most highly the 
jade stone. High officials wear a ring of white or green jade 
stone upon the thumb of the right hand. 

The social customs of the Chinese are quite unlike those of 
any other people. With them marriages are celebrated in a man- 
ner peculiar to their own country. Mothers choose wives for 
their sons, and make the choice without consulting them as 
soon as they are old enough to marry. The mother is not con- 
tent until the eldest son — if there is more than one son in the 
famil5^ — is married and has a son, or until she has a grandson, 
to perform the burial rite at her death. 

Marriages are arranged by "go-betweens" — the rank of the 
parties being considered — or women who are one of four living- 
generations of females, the second in line being eligible to serve 



104 BY LAND AND SEA. 

in this capacity. The contracting parties never see each other 
until the bride is brought to the bridegroom's house. There is 
no wedding service performed by a priest : the ceremony simply 
consists in the preparation of the bride to leave the home of her 
ancestors, which takes place on the last day after a month of 
mourning and waihng because she is to leave her family. 

The girl is not promised in mamage mitil one month before 
she leaves the paternal roof. She spends this time in moiuming, 
weeping, and waihng in loud tones of voice. If she belongs to 
a familv of high rank, she is allowed to absorb herself entirely 
for the mouth in this expression of grief and desolation, which 
is supposed to convey the idea that her unhappiness is caused on 
account of leaving the home of her parents. Several of her 
dearest maiden friends attend upon her during this period of 
mourning, whose pleasure it must be to join with the bride in 
her lamentations. A common quality of clothing ir- furnished 
to the bride for this season of preparation, which must be torn 
to shreds during the paroxysms of grief and waihng. If the 
bride is of a low and working class, she is aUowed to continue 
in her daily avocation to a certain extent, but she must feign 
the sadness of the situation at least a portion of the time. 

Until girls, even in all classes, are chosen for wives, they 
wear their hau' in one long plait hanging down the back. The 
day the bride is to go to her new home, the same ' ' go-between " 
who has arranged the marriage spends the day with the girl. 
and superintends the final preparations. The last thing is to 
comb the mass of tangled hair, which is done in a very rough 
manner with a coarse wooden comb, even to pulling it out in 
quantities, until the girl screams in real agony : it is then 
arranged in the coiffure of a married woman, which is a simple 
knot upon the top of the head. 

The bride remains the entu-e day, from eight o'clock in the 
morning until the hour she leaves home, which is about six 



MARRIAGE CUSTOMS IN CHINA. 105 

o'clock in the evening, upon a very hard bed covered with a red 
silk or cotton blanket, red being the mourning color. Her 
bridesmaids, who have been in attendance during the month of 
mourning, remain at her bedside and at times join in the vocif- 
erous and apparently heart-rending tones of the mourning agony, 
indicating tha,t the grief of the bride is almost unbearable. The 
mother stands by, to all appearances an indifferent observer. 
The invited guests — including only women — who came at eight 
o'clock in the morning, remain in the room, also silent observers. 
The hour approaches when the bride is to leave home ; she is 
gaily attired, her hair has been neatly put up on the top of the 
head and adorned with ornamental pins, and she is allowed to 
leave her bed and receive the mournful salutations of the attend- 
ing friends, and then she expresses the final sad good-byes to her 
family and young friends who have been with her during these 
weeks of sadness. 

At five o'clock in the afternoon a simple repast is offered to 
the family and guests, but the bride eats nothing during the 
day, the custom of the country requiring the bride to go hungry 
to her new home. 

After the wedding repast is finished, the bride is carried on 
the back of her ama, or maid, to the closed sedan chair which 
awaits her on the veranda, and followed only by the "go-be- 
tween," who accompanies her by the side of the chair with a 
lighted lantern in hand, she proceeds to the house of her husband, 
for she is now married ; several sedan chairs follow, containing 
the gifts that have been bestowed upon her. When the bride's 
chair leaves the house, large quantities of rice are thrown over 
it, which is understood to express the wish that the bride may 
always have plenty. 

On the arrival of the bride at her new home, the husband 
comes to the chair, which is closed and locked, the "go-between '' 
having the key in charge, and raps on the door a significant 



106 BY LAND AND SEA. 

number of times ; the signal is recognized and answered, where- 
upon the key is handed to the husband, who unlocks the door 
and the "go-between'' takes the bride upon her back, wailing and 
screaming, thereby expressing to her husband her great sorrow 
at leaving the paternal roof, and carries her to the apartment 
she is to occupy : there she is divested of her wrapping-s and 
thick veil, and the husband looks upon the face of his bride for 
the first time. 

The fi]"st matter of importance to the husband is the size of 
liis wife's feet : if they are sufficiently small to please his fancy, 
he is well satisfied with his bride. If they are too large, then 
perhaps a shade of disappointment is seen on his countenance. 
But under no circumstances can he change the state of affairs. 
His only redress, if not content, is to ask his mother to firid 
another wife for him. However, as all the personal details are 
arranged by the "* go-between," care is taken that the fancy of 
the husband shall be suited. 

At the end of a month the young wife may go each day to 
her father's house for one month if she chooses to do so, but she 
must return to her own home at night. 

Among the low classes of Chinese there is much less cere- 
mony concerning marriages, but the month of mourning is the 
essential point in any case and must be observed to a certain 
extent. 

The above description may appear too strange to be probable, 
but it was related to me by a lady who had resided eight years 
in Canton and had attended many such weddings. 

Another custom pecuHar to the Chinese is their system of pre- 
serving eggs, which is supposed to keep them any length of time. 
The eggs are immersed m a strong decoction of an aromatic 
wood, and allow^ed to remain three days therein ; then they are 
taken out and smeared over with a paste made of lime, salt and 
wood ashes, buried and left undisturbed for at least fortv davs, 



THE MYSTERIO US FENG-SHUI. 1 07 

after which they are considered fit for use. Eggs prepared in 
this way are highly rehshed by the Chinese gourmand, even after 
two years' keeping. 

The Celestials, as the Chinese are often called, because they 
speak of their country as the Celestial Kingdom, have one 
invariable law in their social system, whose requirements under 
no circumstances can be ignored ; yet its decrees are subject to 
whim and to pecuniary conditions. It is the law of the Feng- 
8hui, which, interpreted into English, means the wind and 
water spirit. An intelligent native will say this law, which is a 
governing power with them, is called a wind and water spirit 
because it is like the wind, for one cannot tell whence it comes, 
and like the water because no one can grasp it. 

This system was estabhshed in the year 1200. The adher- 
ence to the Feng-Shui principle has no doubt largely hindered 
progressive movements among the Chinese. It has not allowed 
the construction of railroads in China to any extent ; it will not 
permit the making of public roads or highways through some 
districts ; in fact, it does not approve any movement looking 
toward a departure fr'om the old customs. 

For scores of years foreigners have been trying to discover 
just what the Feng-Shui is, in order to avoid possible antago- 
nisms in commercial affairs, but all in vain. The decree is only 
applicable to each individual case. A man wishing to buy a 
piece of land, or to establish himself in business, asks the con- 
sent of the representative official of the Feng-Shui. If he does 
not wish to grant the request he simply bows politely, and 
declares that on account of the Feng-Shui it is impossible. 
However, a second appeal, accompanied with an increased con- 
sideration or gift, is more graciously listened to, and after a pri- 
vate consultation with another official, the request may perhaps 
be granted. Frequently the Ferig-Shui permits the burial 
mounds of the natives to be constructed near the residences of 



108 BY LAND AND SEA. 

foreigners. In such a case the only protection is to get permis- 
sion to build a high wall around their grounds, in order to shut 
out from view the unpleasant sights of Chinese cemeteries. 
The law of the Feng-Shid is very compliant, and may be 
induced to consent to almost anything, but concessions must 
always be paid for. If, however, a foreigner cannot get a con- 
cession to enclose his property, he must endure the consequences 
of having improvised cemeteries at his very door, and perhaps 
in full view. 

A near prospect of these burial mounds is not agreeable. 
Sometimes a dead body placed in a rough box rests on the sur- 
face of the ground, being covered only with matting or straw, 
held down by stones heaped upon it. It is true, however, that 
the quick-lime thrown upon the body soon destroys the odors 
and decomposes the flesh and bones. Dead bodies are generally 
very indifferently disposed of, and are frequently left on the sur- 
face of the ground ; hence the importance of using quick-lime. 
The Chinese also practice cremation, although less than the 
other method of disposing of the dead. 

Until European influence began to prevail in China children 
were not buried even in this rough manner ; they were simply 
thrown on some waste spot of ground and covered with lime. 
Whatever was left undecomposed by the lime was washed away 
by rain. Now they bury children more decently ; a large pit is 
dug and covered with a bamboo roof. The body is wrapped in 
matting or canvass, and thrown into the pit with a quantity of 
lime, which quickly destroys it. 

Some years ago an incident occurred in a family related to 
the writer which may interest you, as showing how appropri- 
ately children born far away from home may be named. While 
an English merchant vessel was lying at Shanghai the captain's 
wife, who was on board, gave birth to a daughter, whom she 
named "Mary, the far East." Again the captain and his wife 



CHINA'S RELIGIOUS SAGE. ~ 109 

were making another voyage and chanced to be at the Sand- 
wich Islands, when a second daughter was born, who was 
called "Jane, the far West." 

Another reminiscence of Shanghai may not be inappropriate 
just here : A party of American gentlemen having finished a 
very good meal at a Chinese restaurant, one of them wished to 
know what the savory ragout was made of from which they 
had freely partaken with relish. He exhausted all the ' ' pidgin- 
English " terms used in a restaurant, but the Chinaman would 
only reply, " He very good ; Melican man eat him." At last the 
gentleman, in a state of desperation, pointing to the smoking 
dish on the table, said, "He makee quack, quack, quack?" 
meaning to ask if it was a duck ragout. The waiter answered, 
"No, Melican man ; he makee bow-wow-wow. No like he now, 
Melican man ? " 

Confucius was the great religious sage of China in the same 
sense that Mohammed is considered the source of wisdom among 
his followers. Confucius lived about the fifth century before 
the Christian era. It is estimated that a third portion of the 
human race are believers in the doctrines and maxims of Con- 
fucius. He attained his high position among the Chinese by 
the strength and purity of his character. When he had arrived 
at the age of full manhood he began to study the character and 
conduct of men ; it appeared to him that they were largely gov- 
erned by selfish and unworthy motives in their dealings with 
their fellow-men ; that there was but little appreciation of right 
and wrong among the people, and he felt himself called by the 
higher power to undertake the work of moral reformation. 

He commenced to teach at the age of twenty- two years. 
One of the first principles in his system of instruction was 
thoroughness in mental exercise and in self -discipline. "When 
I have presented," said he, "one corner of my subject, and the 
pupil cannot himself make out the other three, I do not repeat 



110 BY LAND AND SEA. 

my lesson," On being asked by a high official in what good 
government consisted, according to his opinion, he rephed, 
' ' When the ruler is ruler, the minister is minister, the father is 
father, and the son is son." Early in his teachings he already 
had many followers. He traveled extensively in his own coun- 
try, often running great risks of his life, but he had a sense of 
security in his belief that he would be protected by Heaven 
until his career in this world should be finished. 

Upon his mausoleum is the following inscription, as trans- 
lated into English : ' ' The wisest ancient teacher, the all-accom- 
plished, all-informed king on earth." 

He died at the age of seventy years, spending nearly all of 
his life in the improvement of the social condition of his fellow- 
men. He calls himself "transmitter," not a "maker "of doc- 
trines, giving it to be understood that he received his doctrines 
from a Supreme Being, and through him they were given to 
men. 

No beef is eaten by the Chinese because Confucius said it 
v/as wicked to take the life of an animal useful in agriculture. 

The tenets of the Feng-Shui, of which I have already 
spoken, came into existence long before Confucius's time. In 
the early days of this law it was called the " Book of Changes." 
Even Confucius did not attempt to explain the principles of the 
Feng-Shui, nor question its oracles. 

That Chinamen are carefully informed and firmly fixed in 
their belief there is no question, as the following incident will 
show : On a certain occasion a friend of the wiiter was pre- 
sented to a judge in the court of justice at Shanghai. After 
the presentation ceremony was finished, the judge inquired 
through an interpreter what brought the gentleman so far away 
from his home. The reply was that he, in company with sev- 
eral of his friends, was making the journey around the world. 
Whereupon the judge questioned the possibility of a human 



CHINESE HONOR AND DIGNITY. Ill 

being going around the world. He said the world was flat, and 
that the man did not live who could climb up the sky and go 
over on the other side ; and he asked the tourist in all gravity 
if they did not understand in America that the world was flat ! 

The Chinese of the more intelligent class are moved by a 
high sense of honor and dignity, more than many people, per- 
haps, although there are doubtless many exceptions to this rule, 
and wicked men are found there as elsewhere. It is related of 
one of the ancient emperors that an invasion was made by an 
unfriendly tribe in his empire which resulted in the overthrow 
of his power, and he was in turn condemned to exile from his 
country. He applied to the Feng-Shui for advice as to what he 
should do under the circumstances. The official of this high 
power did not dare to give advice on so delicate a question, and 
the emperor himself decided his own fate. He conducted his 
beloved empress into a distant part of the garden without utter- 
ing a word. She at once understood his silent agony, and after 
tenderly embracing him, she retired and suspended herself by 
the silken girdle which she took from her waist. The emperor 
followed her quickly in death. He first cut off the head of his 
beautiful w^ife with his cimeter, and then with the same girdle 
hung himself upon another tree. 

The sea coast and river shores of China are generally low 
and marshy, and consequently are subject to frequent inunda- 
tions — hence the dreadful disasters from overflowed rivers that 
we sometimes read about. And while oftentimes great loss 
of life ensues from these inundations, great advantages also fol- 
low. The countless surface-buried dead are swept away into 
the sea by these overflows, which nmst have the gi^ateful effect 
of cleansing the soil and purifying the atmosphere. 

China is famous for its immense population. The people are 
gathered in great cities or thronged in innumerable villages in 
the agricultural districts. Hundreds of thousands also live in 



112 BY LAND AND SEA. 

boats on the rivers, bays and harbors. This boat-life is peculiar 
to itself, and quite distinct from land life. These people, old or 
young, seldom touch foot on shore. They are born in junks, as 
Chinese ships are called, fulfill their mission in life on deck, and 
at last are buried from the stern of a boat. There are floating 
theatres, joss boats — as those having shrines are called — tea and 
dance boats inhabited by young girls, which meander constantly 
through the forest of boats in all the principal harbors, but 
always hovering close by the shores and inviting patronage from 
shoremen as well as boatmen. The girls marry and take perhaps 
only a rice-kettle, a pillow, a mat, a pair of chop-sticks, and a 
change of blouse for a marriage portion, and go aboard the lov- 
er's boat, perfectly satisfied with their lot in life. 

These boats have awnings of matting over the stern, which 
are let down at night and shut in the little family circle. The 
daily routine of life is performed on deck in full view of ^heir 
neighbors. If the family increases too fast, or number too many 
girls, which is considered a misfortune among the boat popula- 
tion, the surplus little ones, especially the females, are allowed 
to crawl to the side of the boat and fall off, unobserved, into 
the water, and are soon lost to sight. The mother, no doubt, 
thinks it is the will of the Fe?ig-Shui that the child should not 
live, and is quite reconciled. When the little ones are not an 
encumbrance in the family they are tied at one end of a cord 
not long enough to admit of their getting to the edge of the 
boat, the other end being fastened at a proper place, and thus 
they are taken care of. 

Among the higher class of Chinese the birth of a son is the 
occasion for great rejoicing. When the child is one month old 
the relations and intimate friends of the family send it a silver 
plate, upon which is engraved the words, "Long life, honors, 
felicity," and the name of the child in full. 

China is an immense country ; the empire is estimated to be 



FACULTY FOR IMITATION, 113 

twice the size of the United States. It has the variety of cU- 
mate which yields the products of the northern latitudes as well 
as the vegetation of the tropics. The camphor and cinnamon 
trees grow without cultivation, and the tea-plant is a natural 
product in many parts of China, but it is greatly improved by 
cultivation. I have sipped tea in China which cost $20 a pound. 
Rice is one of the chief products of that country, being liter- 
ally the staff of hfe for the people. The rice-pot is upon every 
boat, in every cabin, and in fact under every home roof in 
China. There the silk worm furnishes the fabric for clothing, 
as does the cotton plant in America. 

The Chinese have a wonderful faculty for imitation. A 
photograph from a foreign land may be given to a portrait 
painter, with descriptions of the color of the eyes and hair, 
and the tint of the complexion, and he will reproduce a 
copy enlarged to life size that will be a speaking hkeness. 
A very amusing affair occurred not long ago which reflected 
considerably on the Chinaman's good sense but proved his quali- 
fication as an imitator. An English officer on board a merchant 
ship lying at anchor off Canton desired to procure several pairs 
of nankin trousers. He sent a pair to the tailor as a pattern, 
but unfortunately there chanced to be a small patch inserted in 
one knee, and he forgot to inform the tailor that the patch must 
not appear on the new garments. In due time the half-dozen 
pairs of new trousers were sent on board, accompanied with a 
polite note which expressed the hope that the trousers would 
suit, as they were exactly like the model. But imagine the sur- 
prise of the officer when he discovered that every pair had a 
patch upon one knee, precisely like the sample pair ! There was 
no alternative but to pay the bill and be silent. 

The Chinese are very skillful in garden culture ; they cul- 
tivate fruit and flowers to perfection. In public gardens may 
be seen some of the native foi-est trees, and also specimens from 



114 BY LAND AND SEA. 

other countries dwarfed to two and three feet in height, and yet 
preserving all the peculiarities of the trees. 

A Chinese house is certainly a luxury in one way at least, 
for it shows a way of dispensing with many of the unnecessary 
articles which in some countries are considered indispensable in 
a well-regulated household at the present day, but which add 
greatly to the care and labor of domestic life. Carpets, high 
walls, a superabundance of fine linen, elaborate furniture, costly 
silver and glass, the inevitable scarf that falls so easily out of 
place, and the thousand and one pieces of bright colored bric-a- 
brac seen in our dwelhngs, do not exist in a Chinese home ; con- 
sequently the mistress of the household knows nothing of the 
numberless sources of fatigue and the innumerable elements of 
annoyance which all these beautiful component parts of a civ- 
ilized home must cause. And yet a Chinaman's home may pos- 
sess every essential for comfort, cleanhness and health. Per- 
haps in the rotation of time, and after every conceivable luxury 
has been exhausted, we, too, may accept a more primitive and 
simple style of home life. 

And so I could continue to talk of what I saw and heard in 
China, but our steamer is waiting, and we must hasten on board 
for the next stage of our journey around the world. 



CHAT IX. 



JAPAN. 



The Japanese not like the Chinese — How Foreigners are 
Treated in Japan — An Earthquake for Dessert— Walls 
Covered with Fans — Japanese Houses and Furniture — 
Chop-sticks— The Bedrooms — The Tea-Houses and the 
Pretty Maids — Beards for Grandfathers and Black- 
ened Teeth for Wives — Men and Women Flying Kites — 
Deft Workers in Paper — Queer Notions about Saving 
Life — Calmly Watching his Friend's Struggles with 
THE Waves — Cash for Prayers —Japanese Horses — The 
Youngsters' Somersaults — Means of Traveling— Making 
A Tree Look Like a Man — Boats for the Spirits op the 
Dead— On the Pacific — Weeks op Eastward Sailing- 
Halfway Across from London — Dropping and Adding a 
Day. 

After a pleasant passage the bold and wooded shores of 
Japan appeared in sight with the great volcanic peak of Fusi- 
yama, and we will devote a little time this evening to an account 
of a few of the many instructive and amusing objects one sees 
in Japan. One who has never been to these ]*egions is likely to 
think that the Chinese and the Japanese are almost as one peo- 
ple in character and customs. But the two countries should 
not be considered as sister-nations, although it is but a step 
comparatively from one to the other. The two peoples are not 
at all alike in their manners and customs of life, although both 
belong to the Mongolian race. 



nfi BY LAND AND SEA. 

Japan accepts to a certain extent the civilization of the 
present age ; China resists all innovations upon its own 
national life. The Chinese are a very grave and haughty 
people ; the Japanese are more affable in their manners and 
disposition. The Chinese women never appear in pubUc ; the 
Japanese women assist in the shops, attend to the tea-houses, 
and go about unveiled in open jinrickshaws — the name given 
to small hand-drawn carriages that are httle larger than a 
child's carriage. The Japanese look quite graciously upon for- 
eigners, even sitting down with them at table on dinner occa- 
sions. They do not cramp the feet as do the Chinese women. 
The Japanese accept more generally European education than 
do the Chinese; they are called the *' Parisians '' of the East. 
There are many Japanese students in our colleges, among whom 
are a few young women. In the larger Japanese cities certain 
districts are assigned to the foreign residents ; they may carry 
on business in other portions of the cities, but they must return 
to their quarters at night. In many of the interior towns for- 
eigners are not allowed to remain over night. The concession 
of residence to foreigners is, however, quite recent. At one 
time Japan was entirely closed to Europeans except at the 
port of Nagasaki, where the Dutch could trade. It is but thir- 
ty-five years since the first Japanese port was opened to all 
foreigners ; now they are following along in the course of the 
general progress of the world, and without doubt most of them 
now beheve with all civilized nations that the world is round, 
while, as we have seen, the Chinaman beheves the world is flat. 

One of my various experiences which occurred in Tokio, or 
Yeddo, the capital city of Japan, was a "tiffin,"' or lunch party, 
which took place m the Hamagoten palace, one of the Mikado's 
city residences. The Mikado is the sovereign of Japan. There 
were fifty guests at the table, among whom were two Japanese 
ladies who appeared in the rich toilettes of their country. The 



AN EAR THQ UAKE EXPERIENCE. 117 

menu cards were eight inches square, of scarlet paper, with the 
menu printed in black Japanese characters, of which each forms 
a complete word. The cuisine and service of the ' ' tiffin " was in 
French style, but with the dessert came an earthquake, which 
certainly was not arranged for by our host, a member of the 
Japanese cabinet. As the coffee and fruits were being served a 
heavy rumbling noise was heard, and in less than two seconds 
all of us were rushing to the outer doors. The house percepti- 
bly rocked as the earth violently trembled, and the heavy 
bronze chandeliers swayed to and fro, describing almost half 
circles. It seemed an age before we reached the veranda. One 
of our party, an American, seemed more composed than the 
rest of the frightened guests. Later, when asked for an expla- 
nation of his composure, he said that he was suddenly reminded 
that twenty-three years previous to that time a terrible earth- 
quake had occurred in Tokio, destroying a large portion of the 
city and many lives, and that the palace in which we were had 
withstood that shock, as it had many others, for it was one of 
the old palaces of Tokio, If all of us could only have remem- 
bered that fact we should have been quiet observers, rather than 
the terrified party we were. However, the excitement was of 
short duration, a second and lighter shock following, and then 
all was quiet again ; mother earth had already steadied herself, 
but we did not linger long over our coffee. All were anxious to 
reach their homes or temporary residences. 

In the palace where this scene took place is a large room, 
about fifty feet square, called the "fan chamber." The only 
pieces of furniture in it were two magnificent cabinets of lac- 
quer-work and four large bronze vases, one in each corner of 
the room. The walls were covered with fans of every conceiv- 
able shape and design. The palace was but one story high, as 
are all the palaces and most of the houses of residents, on 
account of the frequent and oftentimes severe earthquakes. 



118 BY LAND AND SEA. 

The buildings in Tokio are low and have wooden ceilings, no 
plaster being used in their construction. A tremor of the earth 
would cause plaster to fall from the walls, while ceilings of 
wood spring apart and unite again under the quick movement 
of earthquakes. 

A description of the ordinary Japanese house may be of 
interest. It consists of a bamboo frame about sixteen feet 
square and fourteen feet high, the roof and four sides being 
thatched closely with rice straw. If the house has been built 
several years, small bushes and tufts of long grass may be seen 
creeping out on the roof and along the outer edges. Some- 
times beds of bright -colored flowers mixed with grass are seen 
on the sloping roofs. The house is surrounded with a veranda 
perhaps four feet wide. This dwelling may be divided into 
small apartments by means of movable screens covered with 
painted paper and reaching almost to the ceiling. These screens 
are moved about to suit the convenience of the family, or for a 
special occasion may be removed, making one square room of 
the whole. The Japanese, as a race, are small in stature, and 
as they require but little furniture, it can be readily understood 
how a house of the above dimensions may serve their neces- 
sities. 

The windows are sliding frames divided into several small 
squares and neatly covered with thin white rice paper, which 
admits a soft and very agreeable light, but must be renewed 
often, as rain soon destroys the paper panes. However, 
the projecting roofs half cover the verandas and serve as a 
great protection to these frail windows. No chimneys are 
required ; an opening in the outer wall of the cooking depart- 
ment permits the escape of smoke from the small charcoal fur- 
nace used. The house needs but little furniture, A cooking 
furnace, a rice-pot and tea-kettle, a few cups and saucers, a 
small clock, a family idol, a red-cushioned movable platform 



JAPANESE TEA-HOUSES. 119 

about two feet high and wide enough for a number of persons 
sitting back to back, which serves as a seat for family and 
guests, and the house is furnished. 

Chop-sticks, which are long, slender pieces of wood, and 
fingers serve for conveying the food to the mouth when at table, 
and small wooden or china bowls take the place of plates. Their 
bedroom is just as simple and primitive. A cotton mat laid 
upon the floor and a little wooden box covered with a cushion of 
rice paper, with a drawer in which to keep the toilet articles, is 
all that is required in the way of furniture. The covering used 
is a large sacque-shaped padded garment, which is put on at 
night. The bedroom articles are stowed away on a shelf dur- 
ing the day, and the room serves as a reception or living room, 
A small stationary tub filled with running water, standing out- 
side the dwelling, answers for the daily ablutions of the entire 
family. 

The tea-houses in Japan take the place of restaurants in 
our country ; they are to be met with everywhere in the coun- 
try and in the towns. The cushioned platform, the steaming 
tea-kettle, a few pretty cups and saucers, the pot of smoking 
hot rice, and two or three pretty and coquettish tea maids are 
the only requirements of a restaurant. If the customer is a 
foreigner no price is set upon the refreshment taken, but the 
smiling moosmies, or attendants, bow very low and gracefully, 
and indicate by their simplicity of manners, together with an 
invitation to come again, that you may pay next time, or that 
one may pay what he pleases. These pretty and smiling maid- 
ens Uke very much to "air" the few English words they may 
chance to know, for they are ambitious to learn something of 
that language. One day an American dropped into a certain 
tea-house where he had been several times before. He always 
had a little dog with him on these visits, and by way of disci- 
pline, if the dog ran about too much, he would say, "Come 



120 BY LAND AND SEA. 

here." The tea maids supposed this to be the name of the dog, 
and on this occasion one of them said to the gentleman as she 
handed him his cup of tea, "What a nice dog American man's 
' Come Here ' is ; I like that name." 

A Japanese family of the middle class may travel with but 
little baggage, as each member has only one suit of clothing, 
which is worn until it is necessary to replace it with another. 

Among the Japanese no man is allowed to wear a beard 
until he becomes a grandfather ; hence old bachelors must 
remain beardless. A girl blackens her teeth as soon as she is 
married ; she must keep them black the rest of her lifetime. 

One of the variety of amusements the Japanese indulge in 
and greatly enjoy is that of flying kites. Both men and women 
among the high and low classes engage in this sport. The kites 
are large or small, according to the circumstances of those 
taking part in the exercise. They go to the hills and high 
grounds in the vicinity of the cities and towns at certain sea- 
sons of the year, where they gather by the hundreds of all 
classes and ages ; all enter into the sport actively or as specta- 
tors. Some of the kites are very large and of curious shapes 
and covered with grotesque paintings. 

In order to avoid entanglement of lines, which would pre- 
vent the successful ascension of any of them, as there may be 
scores of kites flying together, the cords are dusted with pow- 
dered glass, so that if they are likely to become embarrassed 
or tangled in rising, the weaker lines are soon cut by the 
stronger and more powerful ones, and consequently must come 
down, leaving the kites to go off at random, while the larger 
ones continue gracefully soaring and manageable for a time ; 
but while the victors are sailing beautifully on, they, too, may 
encounter other lines still heavier than their own, and meet 
with a fate similar to that which befel the weaker kites. 

The sport of kite-flying consists in the struggle for suprem- 



PEC ULIA R NO TION ABO UT LI FES A VI NG. 121 

acy among the larger kites, the liabiUty of confusion of lines, 
and the frequent cutting of them, allowing the kites to wander 
off unmanageable in all directions. Rightly to enjoy the sport 
one must be provided with a number of kites, for he may lose 
one as soon as he lets it fly. The largest kites, of course, carry 
the strongest lines and make their way above the smaller ones, 
remaining longer afloat. The cords are wound upon reels, 
which are fastened at certain distances one from the other. 
The women take an active part in the sport, while the children 
are spectators. 

There is wonderful skill and deftness exhibited among the 
Japanese in constructing curious devices of paper, and for 
unique designs in painting them. If they indicate a small idea 
of exact perspective, they know at least how to give a rich col- 
oring to their work. In the manufacture of light and graceful 
fans the Japanese especially excel. Their fans are in demand 
the world over. Pocket handkerchiefs and napkins made of 
paper are in universal use ; a roll of paper handkerchiefs may 
be seen in the girdle of a Japanese lady. 

The Japanese have very peculiar notions in regard to sav- 
ing the lives of their fellows. They will not rescue human 
beings, who may be in peril, unless they intend or are willing to 
make it their pleasure to maintain such rescued ones afterward, 
even though it may be entirely in their power to go to their aid. 
And besides, they maintain that it is wrong to thwart the inten- 
tions of Divine Providence. A Japanese does not generally 
appreciate life in the same sense that we do. 

A circumstance confirming the above was witnessed from 
a hotel window in Yokohama. This hotel is situated on the 
hund or quay of Yokohama Bay. At the time of the occurrence 
of the incident the sea was very rough and the waves were 
running high. There were several sampans, or small row boats, 
pulling bravely over the heavy surf to reach the shore. In one 



122 BY LAND AND SEA. 

of the boats were two men, one of whom had been washed 
overboard by a large roller. He was soon struggling desper- 
ately to catch hold of the boat as it was dashing over the waves, 
while his companion sat, oars in hand, calmly looking on, but. 
as if moved by an impulse of mercy, he did not pull away from 
the drowning man. At last a huge wave caught up and tossed 
the sinking man into the boat. There was an unmistakable 
expression of happiness on the comrade's face when he saw 
this rescue by the merciful wave. It was evident the two men 
were friends, and yet one would not make an effort to save the 
other. 

One day in my j)erambulations about Yokohama, unat- 
tended and alone, I saw a widow engaged in the f uuei-al service 
of her deceased husband. She and the priest were kneeling 
and praying before an idol in one of the principal temples. The 
priest held a bell rope in one hand, and from time to time rang 
out some doleful sounds from a large bronze bell suspended 
over his head. In the other hand he had small pieces of wood 
and paper inscribed with prayers upon both sides. -As he suc- 
cessively read the prayers he laid the several pieces of wood 
and paper upon the floor. When a prayer was finished the 
mourning widow would throw down several cash — copper 
coins of the least value in Japanese money. At last the widow 
arose to leave, but the priest rang the bell, and she again 
knelt down, when he read another prayer and she threw 
down a few more casli. The service being finished the widow 
went mournfully away and the priest turned toward me, and, 
observing that I had been a witness of the funeral ceremony, 
pohtely saluted me and departed with a smile on his counte- 
nance. 

The Japanese horses are obstinate beasts. They will not 
move until the "bettoes," or leaders— one at the head of each 
horse — jerk them smartly by the bits and then start off on a 



TRAVELING IN JAPAN. 123 

run, yelling and pulling the animals after them. After two or 
three minutes of this violent effort, the animals go along well 
enough, and the "betto " jumps on a little platform at the back 
of the carriage. In going through villages the " bettoes " run at 
the heads of the horses, bounding and jumping with the steps 
of the animals, and yelling to clear the road from the children 
which may be seen playing in the dust. At the sound of horses 
coming along the road a troop of little naked youngsters, from 
three years old to children ten and twelve years of age, run 
into the road to meet the carriages in the expectation of getting 
a few casli for turning somersaults, which they do quite 
expertly, calling out at the same time " O-hi-o,^^ the Japanese 
word for "good-morning." These little athletes ran after us 
by the dozen when making an excursion in the country, turn- 
ing over and over like balls, and kicking up such a dust that 
at last we were glad to buy them off with some cash pieces 
before they started in again with their somersaults. 

Traveling in the interior of Japan is done mostly by jin- 
rickshaws drawn by two or more men, according to the rough- 
ness of the road. In many portions of the country there are no 
carriage roads and all journeying is done either in jinrickshaws 
or kangs — the latter a kind of basket in which the passenger 
takes a half recumbent position and is carried by means of a 
pole attached to each side of the basket. Four coolies will carry 
a man sixty miles in one day, if they are allowed to rest a few 
minutes occasionally to get a drink of sacci, or rice wine, and 
some boiled rice and raw fish. 

The flower and fruit culture in Japan is exceedingly inter- 
esting to the foreigner. One sees a great variety of semi-trop- 
ical flowers growing luxuriantly and bearing richly-colored 
blossoms, but they are without fragrance ; even the rose is not 
as fragrant there as in lower latitudes ; one also sees beautiful 
foliage-shrubs with leaves tinged with every color of the rain- 



124 BY LAND AND SEA. 

bow. The Japanese are greatly skilled in a peculiar kind of 
tree culture. I have seen pear and apple trees dwarfed down 
to the size of a small rose bush of perhaps three feet in height 
from the ground, and laden with fruit but httle smaller than 
the usual size. They train a certain species of evergreen tree 
to the shape of a bird cage, or of a coupe with a pair of horses 
attached: and I have seen a tree growing in the shape of a man. 
in which case colored plates were inserted in the head of the 
tree in imitation of eyes ; many other curious shapes are also 
brought out by them in tree-growing. 

Among Japanese superstitions there is one that is especially 
curious. They believe that the spirits of the dead come once a 
year, on a certain day in the month of August, to visit the 
sacred shrines in the temples. They do not claim to know 
whence they come, but they are received with music, illumina- 
tions and curious ceremonies, and on the following morning at 
the dawn of da}' they are escorted by long processions of priests 
and people to the water's edge, and are sent in beautiful min- 
iature paper boats to float off whence they came. 

And now, my dear travehng companions, we have only to 
cross in imagination the Pacific ocean, then continue our jour- 
ney four thousand miles over the continent of Xorth America, 
and I have brought you home with me to a pretty little town 
on the Hudson river. 

The transit of the Pacific ocean was made without unpleas- 
ant adventure ; a favorable trade wind aided the steamer, and 
the voyage was quicklj" over. The sky was blue, the sea serene 
and the time passed rapidly. The voyage occupied twenty-five 
days, and was most agreeable, with the single exception of the 
lonehness of our situation. For the first twenty-one days of 
our crossing we saw not a sail ; sky and water, and sea- 
birds, whose companionship we had all the way over, were 
all we could see beyond our own ship. 



CALCULATION OF TIME. 125 

During the last three days of our voyage we saw several 
steamers and merchant ships plowing through the waves. From 
time to time during our three weeks' sailing, "solitary and 
alone " over the great deep, I asked myself if it were possible 
for the ship's navigator to have lost his way ! But then I 
reflected that we had forty-eight hundred miles to make from 
shore to shore, which must inevitably take weeks to accom- 
plish. 

However, we did have a break in the monotony of our voy- 
age ; at least, we had a new topic for conversation. The occa- 
sion was when we crossed the one hundred and eightieth degree 
of longitude from Greenwich, and were of course just half way 
around our globe, counting the distance from London. With 
us it was in the afternoon, while our friends in London at that 
very moment were in their beds asleep. 

The traveler on his first voyage across the Pacific is not a 
little perplexed in trying to comprehend the calculation of time 
on -the one hundred and eightieth meridian. When we think 
we understand it, we are still unable to explain it to another, 
or even to think intelligently about it. According to the nau- 
tical almanac we drop a day in the calendar in going from 
America to Japan, which puts us right with the time on that 
coast, and we add a day on the return voyage, in order to find 
ourselves in correspondence with the correct time in America. 
This is because in going east around the world we meet the sun, 
and gain a little over an hour with every thousand miles of 
eastward progress. 



CHAT X. 



HOME ONCE MORE. 



Entering at the Golden Gate — Ponce DeLeon — The Land 
OF Flowers — The Fountain of Youth — Discovering a 
Continent — In a Country of Progress — What the Land 
Brings Forth — A Hotel Like a Moorish Palace — The 
Alligators— The Balmy South— The Great Cataract of 
Niagara— The Waters of Mighty Lakes— A Murderer's 
Hand - OVER - Hand Escape to Liberty — A Tight-Rope 
Walker Over an Awful Abyss — Submerged Shores — 
A Lake's Sudden Chill— A Wall of Water — The Valley 
OF Wonders — Cascades Leaping from Mountain Heights 
—Where the Clouds Rest — The Virgin's Tears — The 
Hot and Spouting Springs— The Laughing Waters- The 
Arrow-maker's Daughter and Her Noble Brave — The 
Story of an Indian Maiden. 

In our last evening's chat we were in Japan and on the 
waters of the broad Pacific. After a safe and pleasant voyage 
we at last heard the pleasant cry of " Land ho ! " from the mast- 
head and soon were able to see from the deck the shores of 
America. We entered the Golden Gate, the name given to the 
noble harbor of San Francisco, and soon stepped foot again on 
our own country. While we are speeding as fast as steam can 
carry us across the great continent of which so large a portion 
belongs to the United States, let us in imagination consider 
some of the chief points which occur in this scenery and mark 
its early history. 



COLUMBUS AND PONCE DE LEON. 127 

We read that Christopher Columbus crossed the Atlantic 
ocean in 1492, discovered land, the Island of San Salvador, one 
of the Bahama group of Islands in the West Indies, and landed 
there ; and we also read that it was reserved for one of the 
companions of his second voyage — Juan Ponce de Leon, a 
Spaniard — to discover in 15^2 the peninsula now known as 
Florida. He sailed from Porto Rico with an expedition of three 
small vessels, with the intention of making a more thorough 
search for land in the waters looking toward the setting sun, 
as he was fully persuaded there was land beyond what had 
already been discovered. He hoped also to find a short passage 
to the East Indies. He therefore directed his little fleet more 
to the westward, not wishing to land at Cuba. On the occa- 
sion of his previous voyage he had heard enough from the 
natives of Cuba to convince him that there was land as yet 
unknown to the European, in the near vicinity of the Island of 
Cuba. His hopes and expectations were realized. 

After weeks of tossing on the rough waters and an almost 
discouraging search at last he descried land. It was on Palm 
Sunday, in the month of April, when he landed his small, dis 
heartened and half -famished crew near the spot where the city 
of St. Augustine now stands. He saw all about him on the 
shore such a luxuriant growth of flowers and vegetation that 
he at once named the place Florida, which signifies the Land of 
Flowers. He raised a cross near the spot where he landed, and 
took possession of the country in the name of his sovereigns, 
Ferdinand and Isabella. 

Ponce de Leon learned from the natives soon after he landed 
in Florida that there was a great lake of medicinal water and 
many marvelous springs back in the interior of the country ; 
and what was more remarkable, that there was one large spout- 
ing spring called the "Fountain of Youth," which was said to 
restore one to the freshness of youth, and preserve one in per- 



128 BY LAND AND SEA. 

petual health by the daily use of its waters. He, with his com- 
panions, made various expeditions of many miles into the 
interior, where they found various large pools of water sup- 
plied by springs clear as crystal. But the so-called spring of 
the "Fountain of Youth" was not reached by Ponce de Leon. 
After many discouragements, and broken in purse and spirit, 
he was obliged to return to Porto Rico, leaving Juan Perez di 
Ortubia to continue the search after the mystic fountain of 
Bimini. Guided by a wise but wrinkled old woman, Juan 
Perez succeeded in reaching the far-famed "Fountain of Youth." 
But, alas ! they did not experience the wdshed-for return of 
their lost youth. But if Ponce de Leon did not discover what 
he sought, he found Florida and the great continent of America. 

This voyage was in fact the pioneer movement in the dis- 
covery of the great Western continent, and the introduction of 
the white man in this new land of promise, as America has 
come to be considered, for Columbus only discovered the out- 
lying islands and the way across the Atlantic ocean. 

The history of the discovery and occupation of America is 
intensely interesting to the American, young or old, not onl}^ 
because it is of such recent date among the world's histories of 
countries, but also for another important reason : because so 
much of its development and progress have been effected in the 
time of our own fathers and mothers, and we may say even in 
our own days. The spirit of progress as it now exists, especially 
in America, is moving everything on and on beyond the power 
of imagination. What another quarter of a century will bring 
about can indeed be scarcely imagined, for it would seem that 
everything which human genius can invent has already been 
accomplished. 

But why should there not be a continued movement among 
men, as well as the constant change which is observable among 
jnanirnate matter | Does not the globe upon whose surface we 



PROGRESS IN THE UNITED STATES. 129 

live rotate daily upon its axis ? And are we not told that 
it also makes its yearly circuit around the sun? Then we 
must believe that inactive matter does not exist ; certainly, in 
the achievements of the human race there is no cessation of 
development. May we not, therefore, with perfect propriety 
indulge now and then in a degree of pride as to some of the 
particular achievements of the American people ? 

Our country received as its birthright some grand natural 
advantages, perhaps, over other countries, and it would seem 
that the spirit of enterprise born in the land rivals to a certain 
extent our wonderful material possessions, which are seemingly 
inexhaustible. We have our mines rich in ore, some of which 
have been discovered only within ten years, and yield enormous 
quantities of wealth ; we have our uncounted acres of land, 
sending forth grains, cotton and other products to the old world ; 
we have our natural oil wells, which, besides lighting our own 
country, help to illuminate many other lands ; we have our sea 
products, such as oysters and salmon, which are shipped to 
other shores ; we have our gas springs, which serve to give heat 
as well as illumination in our houses. It would seem that as a 
need were felt nature comes at once to our aid and supplies it. 
All these stores of wealth have been developed by the spirit of 
enterprise which is active in all parts of our land. And with- 
out doubt there is yet enough of hidden treasure to inspire 
effort for generation after generation to come. 

As to the dates of the wonderful discoveries, and of the dif- 
ferent progressive changes which have taken place in this coun- 
try during the last fifty years, we have no time this evening to 
repeat them in detail. We can only get an idea of some of the 
geographical points in our beloved land, such as might be 
observed by one rapidly passing over it. I saw in my wander- 
ings in Florida a beautiful building situated in St Augustine, 
the point from which we start on our rambling journeys, called 
9 



130 BY LAND AND SEA. 

the ''Ponce de Leon Hotel." It is somewhat Uke a Moorish 
palace in its architecture. There are two beautiful fountains 
in the gardens. Alas ! they do not give forth the waters of *' Per- 
petual Youth.'- 

Florida has been for long years the home of the alligator ; 
but the uTepressible sportsman, finding its skin greatly sought 
for leather, is encroaching rapidly upon its domain, and it will 
not be long before the alligator will be no more, or scarce to 
find. 

Florida is the Riviera or health resort of America, and 
thousands fly from the ice-bound regious of the North to enjoy 
its genial winter climate. 

As we go northward we come to some of the wonderful 
water-falls for which our couotry is celebrated. Chief among 
them is the great horseshoe-shaped cataract called Niagara, 
falhng over a precipice 164 feet in height. It precipitates in its 
fall, it is estimated, one hundred millions of tons of water 
per minute, and is one of nature's most sublime works. 

Niagara is an Indian name ; translated into Enghsh it 
means " Thunder of Waters." Niagara river is the upper out- 
let for the lakes Michigan, Superior, Huron and Erie, whose 
waters are gathered from the great streams caused in part by 
the melting snows of the northwest country, and carries this 
immense body of water over the falls to the lower lake of 
Ontario, and thence by the river St. Lawrence to the sea. 

There are accounts of some singular adventures and nar- 
row escapes from death, occurring in the cases of men going 
dehberately or falling accidentally into the rapids and over the 
falls. 

Many years ago a murderer made his escape from the hands 
of justice by dragging himself hand-over-hand across the wires 
of an old bridge at Lewiston, near Niagara. The sheriff was 
behind him, the river before him, his only means of escape being 




NIAGARA FALLS. 



STRANGE FREAKS OF NATURE. 131 

to cross the stream by the wires. He began the fearful pass- 
age ; soon his hands bUstered and bled, and he rested them from 
time to time by suspending himself from the wires by his feet. 
At last he reached the opposite shore and fell upon the ground 
as if dead. There he lay still for a short time, and then con- 
tinued his flight into the wilds of the forest, and so in this fear- 
ful manner escaped arrest. 

More lately Monsieur Blondin, a Frenchman, accomplished 
some wonderful balancing-feats while walking across the Falls 
on a rope. He seemed to be perfectly at his ease standing on 
a single rope stretched across that terrible abyss. He would sit 
down or lie on the rope, apparently as sure of his safety as if 
he were standing on firm ground. He also was able to exer- 
cise his hands in a variety of positions while suspended over 
the roaring waters of Niagara. Blondin still lives. Quite 
recently he performed some remarkable feats on the tight -rope 
at the Crystal Palace, near London ; among other exploits this 
daring performer rode on a bicycle over a rope not two inches 
in diameter. 

It is also related that from time to time some strange freaks 
of nature have taken place in the waters of Lake Ontario. 
About forty -five years ago the lake suddenly became disturbed 
without warning and rose more than three feet above its usual 
level, covering the low lands on both the Canadian and Ameri- 
can shores and washing away all the land and buildings that 
obstructed the way of the rising flood. In a few days the waters 
receded somewhat, but never to the original water line, and 
consequently much of the inundated land has never been 
reclaimed. The reason for this disturbance and the rising of 
the lake has never been clearly explained ; but the cause was 
generally supposed to be a volcanic'eruption in the bottom of the 
lake. At another time the temperature of the water became unu- 
sually cold and the shores were covered for days with dead fish. 



132 BY LAND AND SEA. ■ 

This occurrence at Lake Ontario reminds us of a most 
remarkable fact in regard to the tides in the Bay of Fundy. 
This bay sets back from the Atlantic Ocean between New 
Brunswick on the north and Nova Scotia on the south ; its tides 
often rise quite sixty feet, the highest-known tide on the face 
of the earth — a wall of water higher than many houses. Navi- 
gation in this water is at times very difficult, as may easily be 
imagined. 

Another of the natural wonders of the country is the Yose- 
mite Valley and its waterfalls. This gigantic mountain gorge 
seems to have been introduced upon the face of the earth by a 
convulsion in the Sierra Nevada range of mountains, which 
takes its rise to the southeast of the great abyss, and continues 
in its irregular course until it reaches the Yosemite Valley 
region ; there the mountains apparently end in a vast chasm. 
This valley should be named the Valley of Wonders, by reason 
of its surpassingly picturesque and sublime scenery. It is about 
ten miles long and one and one-half miles wide, and receives vari- 
ous waterfalls, which roll over the mountain sides on either 
hand of the great canyon or gorge and from the Merced river. 

The Yosemite fall is a beautiful cascade leaping over a 
precipice of two thousand six hundred and thirty-four feet, 
broken only twice in its descent. Another beautiful waterfall is 
the Bridal- Veil Fall, called by the Indians Po-ho-no, meaning in 
their language the "Spirit of the Evil Wind." But this is not a 
suitable name for it, as one easily sees on beholding its entrancing 
beauty. Such a glorious creation should not carry the idea of 
anything evil, but rather convey the sentiment of something 
lovely and propitious. But what is in a name ? This waterfall 
is one of nature's most beautiful pictures ; it descends grace- 
fully and gently in one unbroken sheet of smooth water over a 
precipice of nine hundred and forty feet. It has been named 
by the white man the " Bridal- Veil Fall" because of the resem- 



YO SEMITE VALLEY. 133 

blance of the gently-falling, fan-shaped cascade to a flowing 
bridal veil. A brilliant rainbow forms just above the basin of 
the falls, when the rays of the sun strike upon the waters, 
giving the effect of a beautiful diadem of precious stones for 
the Bridal Veil. 

The highest point in the Yosemite range of mountains is 
called "Cloud's Eest." It surmounts an almost vertical wall 
seven thousand feet high. The ascent may be made by a wind- 
ing path on horseback, but it is a very fatiguing excursion. 

There is another majestic cataract in this valley, called the 
"Virgin's Tears." This sheet of water tumbles over a steep of 
rock one thousand feet high, broken several times by jutting 
rocks. But wherefore this name I cannot tell. 

The Yosemite valley country has but recently been dis- 
closed to the admiration of civilized man. It was in 1851 
that the first white man entered this canyon ; in 1855 the irre- 
pressible tourist made his first appearance. Until the way was 
opened somewhat, access to the valley was fraught with many 
difficulties. There was the Indian to overcome, a trail to make 
out, the hardships and uncertainties of unknown roads to 
endure ; at any moment one was in peril of meeting the wild 
and unfriendly denizens of the forest. But all these obstacles 
to travel in the Yosemite valley and its surrounding country 
are now removed, and charming excursions are made in that 
region by tourists to CaHfornia. 

In the vast northwest territory of our continent there is 
still another remarkable phenomenal feature of land and water, 
the Geysers and the Hot Spouting Springs. The three princi- 
pal geyser regions in the world are in Iceland, in New Zealand 
and in Wyoming Territory in America. The word "geyser'' 
comes from the old Icelandic language, and means gushing or 
spouting. Geysers exist in many volcanic regions. In Wyo- 
ming there are hundreds of these hot spouting springs. The 



134 BY LAKD AXD SEA. 

most wonderful one in this group lifts its spray to a height of 
two hundred and fifty feet. These springs cover a very large 
area of ground; one of them is known as the ''Giantess," 
because of the immense bulk of water constantly spouting out ; 
it lifts a column of boiling water two hundred and nineteen 
feet high. Some geysers also throw up at times masses of rock 
and mud, accompanied with frightful explosions. These 
springs send up an almost endless number of jets of steam and 
water. 

It was in l>7u. I believe, that the tirst exploring expe- 
dition went out into the Yellowstone park region, the hitherto 
almost unknown country, when that immense and wonderful 
desert waste, full of smoking and boihng hot springs, was dis- 
covered. 

A passing allusion to the Falls of St. Anthony, or the !Min- 
nehaha Cascade, may not be uninteresting at this time. 
''Minnehaha'" is interpreted to mean ''Laughing Waters."" 
This cascade is a gentle fall of water, over a rocky cliff more 
than sixty feet high. Under the illumination of the sunbeams, 
which causes a brilliarit iridescence on the foamy waters of 
Minnehaha, a pictui'e may be seen exceeding in beauty any- 
thing the deftest hand can put on canvass. A more enchant- 
ing waterfall than the Minnehaha cascade cannot be imagined. 

There is a pretty legend in connection with the falls of St. 
Anthony, which Long-fellow has immortalized in verse. The 
legend relates that the father of ]\Iiunehaha was an arrow- 
maker and had his cabin close by the cascade. One day the 
Good Spirit sent him a gift — a httle pappoose. As the little wee 
winsome sphit grew in her beauty, she was named after the 
beautiful cascade whose waters danced gaily before his door 
and with their spray kept the gi-ass always green. 

One day a noble brave was on his way to the arrow-maker's 
hut to get a quiver of arrows : he chanced to see the dai'k-eyed 



HIAWATHA AND MINNEHAHA. 135 

maiden sitting on the bank of the river, bathing her feet in its 
curhng waves. He paused a moment to catch a ghmpse of her 
beautiful face as it .was mirrored on the water, and then passed 
rapidly on his way lest he should be discovered by the girl. 

Hiawatha returned to his people with his quiver of arrows 
but not forgetting the lovely vision he saw reflected on the 
water he soon retraced his steps to the enchanted waterfall. 
" With his moccasons of magic, 
At each stride a mile he measured," 
and never ceased his haste until he came within sound of the 
cascade. He quickly reached the arrow- maker's wigwam and 
threw from his shoulder at the feet of the father the deer which 
he had killed on the way, saying he had come to ask in marriage 
the fair Minnehaha. The story goes that the father extended to 
the brave Hiawatha the hand of welcome, and replied, ''Yes if 
the 'Laughing Waters' wishes to go with you." "But what 
saith the maiden fair? " asked the wooing Hiawatha. Minne- 
haha timidly arose and putting her beaded blanket over her 
bare shoulders advanced to Hiawatha, her face tinged with the 
color of the rose, and with outstretched hands said, "Minne- 
haha will follow her noble brave." The two started at once on 
their bridal tour to the far-off home of Hiawatha, 

I am quite sure that a more thorough study of the great 
waterfalls and the immense inland waters of our country would 
prove most instructive as well as interesting to my young read- 
ers. There are also several immense caves and grottos, or under- 
ground phenomena, in America, whose description merits care- 
ful reading, or if possible a visit in person. The wonders of 
our own country are not yet entirely explored, and they offer 
many a treat even for those who have seen the Old World. 



FRAGMENTARY LETTERS, 



UTAH. 



Salt Lake City, July 5. We made a detour of two hours 
by rail from the direct California route to visit the capital city 
of the Mormons. Somebody selected a rich and arable tract of 
land when this site was chosen on which to build a new Jerusa- 
lem. Salt Lake City nestles quietly in a fertile valley at the 
base of the range of snow-capped mountains. By irrigation the 
soil is rendered extremely productive. Little purling rills of 
snow-water from the mountains traverse the streets in all direc- 
tions. We attended a Sunday service at the Tabernacle yester- 
day. There were present probably not less than five thousand 
people, this number equaling the capacity of the building. Two- 
thirds of the audience were women and children. One of the 
eminent of the twelve apostles delivered an impromptu dis- 
course. He took no text. He exhorted the people to be faith- 
ful to the good cause which they had espoused, and assured them 
that there were many evidences of the prosperity of the Mor- 
mon Zion in Utah and elsewhere. He advised them to go on 
with the work more courageously than ever. The sermon was 
short. Much of the service consisted of congregational singing 
led by a choir of a hundred voices, accompanied, if not by the 
largest, certainly by the second largest organ in the country. 
The communion service is celebrated every Sunday. The twelve 
apostles break the bread and serve it with water, the latter 
taking the place of wine. The water is dipped from two large 
casks near the altar. The entire Mormon congregation, inclu- 
ding the children, partake of the communion. The women, 
especially the elder ones, were attired in the oddest styles of 
clothing imaginable, their dresses and bonnets being exceed- 



1 40 FRA GMENTAR Y LE TTERS. 

ingly old-fashioned, to say the least, and representing the styles 
of many European countries, while some of the younger women 
were gayly dressed in New York fashions, although somewhat 
antiquated. The Mormons place great stress on the rites of 
baptism and communion. They allow themselves to be baptized 
frequently, and also baptize the living for the dead. Under 
certain circumstances they permit themselves to be "sealed " in 
matrimony to the dead, in which case they do not marry with 
the Uving. Brigham Young, the patriarch of the Mormons, 
had eighteen wives (perhaps not all of them now in good stand- 
ing with the saints), and forty-nine hving children. We were 
introduced to several of his wives and children. 



CALIFORNIA. 



San Fraxcisco, July 9. The scenery along the pass in the 
Sierra Nevadas, through which the railroad runs from Salt 
Lake City to San Francisco, is majestic even to subHmity. 
For hours we rode through natural openings in the mountains 
of rocks utilized by the skillful engineer for the path of the 
steam-horse, and in which the ravines between the mountains 
are spanned by trestle -bridges. Sometimes we went curving 
around a rocky projection, on one side of which was a precipice 
more than a thousand feet deep, on the other an acclivity hun- 
dreds of feet high. Again we were shooting through a narrow 
pass, the sides of which were far too high to get even a glimpse 
of the summits of the rugged mountains. The scenery at and 
near "the divide" was grandly imposing; there were moun- 
tains of huge rocks, deep gorges, and eminences of sharp, 
smoothly cut stone, variegated with all the colors of the rain- 
bow, seemingly the handiwork of a nation of giants. Some of 
the peaks of the Sierras are over ten thousand feet high. Travel- 
ing for hours through such a barren, rugged country, we seemed 
to be daringly encroaching on Nature's private domain. It is 
a wonderful work of bold engineering, this pathway of travel 
and commerce through the Sierra Nevadas. An open platform 
car is attached to the train, to afford the traveler an unob- 
structed view of the pass. Before reaching ' 'the divide" we passed 
through twenty miles of snow-sheds. We had an artist on the 
train who was almost beside himself in enthusiastic admiration 
of the scenery, and I must confess that I was likewise affected 
by the sublime grandeur of these mighty works of Nature. 



142 FRA GMENTAR Y LE TTERS. 

July 28. Here is an epitome of a two days' visit at a 
mansion in Alameda, a few miles from San Francisco : The 
estate comprises one hundred and twenty acres, every rod 
of which is under the highest state of cultivation possible. It 
contains a fine driving-park, acres of flowers, an extensive, 
beautifully kept lawn shaded by majestic old live oaks, and 
acres more of the choicest fruit. There are eight beautiful car- 
riages and twelve blooded horses at the service of the family. The 
house has a corps of eighteen servants. Gas is made on the 
premises, and the house and grounds are brilliantly illuminated. 
The property extends to the San Francisco Bay, where one finds 
two beautiful little gondolas, with gondoliers in picturesque 
costumes ready for service. The main eotrance-hall is eigh- 
teen by forty feet. The second-story hall corresponds to the 
one on the first-story, and is used as a picture gallery. Into the 
third-floor hall open the bedrooms, the doors of which are faced 
with mirrors, so that at first sight the hall appears like a salon 
of mirrors rather than a serviceable bedroom corridor. The 
halls are lighted by twenty large chandeliers. The library, on 
the first-floor, is much larger than the hall, and contains three 
thousand five hundred carefully-chosen books, and is superbly 
furnished. The dining-room is a companion room to the library. 
One end of this room is occupied by a sideboard having a 
mirror which extends to the ceiling and of the same width as 
the sideboard. Two large rooms are devoted to the amusements 
of billiards and bowling. The drawing-room is not yet finished 
and exceeds all the other rooms in size. The inside wood- work 
for the entire house was made in New York, and is mostly of 
choice imported woods. The furniture is made to match the 
wood- work of each room. To us were assigned two adjoining 
rooms of immense proportions, so large indeed that I could 
almost lose myself in serpentining around the massive furni- 
ture. These rooms contained every convenience and luxury 



FRUITS, FLOWERS, VEGETABLES. 143 

belonging to bedrooms. The house service is performed by- 
Chinamen, who move noiselessly about the house in corlc-bot- 
tomed shoes. They present really a picturesque appearance in 
blue silk or cotton blouses, all of them having braids of plaited 
hair reaching down to their heels. 

The lady of the mansion is a Quaker, a perfect mistress 
of her house, and a most charming hostess. The master is a 
highly cultivated and most agreeable host. 

We saw bushels of choice fruit lying upon the ground. It 
was decaying and untouched because it was so abundant it 
could not be used by the family. Nothing is sold from this 
place — it is beneath a California king to sell fruit ! This is 
one of three equally magnificent estates which we have visited 
since wo came to San Francisco. 

We are delighted with the Golden Gate City. The climate 
is delightful ; even the most sensitive constitution can find here 
an agreeable atmosphere. One can dress thick or thin in the 
house ; the only precaution necessary is to wear a wrap when 
going out to drive or walk. Even sealskin jackets are not out 
of place on a July day at the approach of evening, for with it 
comes the cool, bracing sea air. It is said the summer breezes 
in San Francisco are more to be feared than the winter rains. 

There is almost a wasteful abundance of fruit in this city. 
It is sold at a merely nominal price. Choice vegetables and 
Oregon salmon are sold in the markets for trifling sums in com- 
parison with the prices paid for them in the East. There are 
three crops of figs a year, and strawberries are to be had every 
month in the year. The flower gardens are in perpetual blos- 
som from January to January. The heliotrope and fuchsia 
grow luxuriously enough to shade the windows and cover the 
verandas. There is no copper coin current here ; the smallest 
coin used is the silver half-dime. About the lowest price for 
anything is a " bit," equal to ten cents. 



144 FRA GMENTAR Y LE TTERS. 

July 31. We have made the inevitable drive to the Cliff 
House. It is a favorite resort for pleasure-driving. The 
house is located on a ledge of rocks jutting out into the sea, 
where there is a good view of the colony of seals. On a 
group of large rocks, rising high out of the water, scores 
of seals, old and young, disport themselves without fear of 
molestation. The patriarch of the colony answers readily to 
his name when a piece of bread is thrown to him. It is 
quite an infatuating amusement to watch the movements of 
the seals. We were as reluctant to leave the spot as children 
are to go away from a cage of monkeys. Quite near the Cliff 
House is the Lone Mountain Cemetery. The mountain is 
isolated, looming up out of the sandy beach ; hence its name. 
Since it has been occupied as a cemetery every foot of soil 
has been made fertile for the growth of plants and flowers 
by irrigation. Large trees are now perfectly '^at home" on 
the sandy sea-shore. With its mountain of flowers the ceme- 
tery stands out in bold rehef, the sea washing its base on one 
side. There is a magnificent park of two thousand acres, front- 
ing the sea with miles of fine drives. By irrigation the beach 
along the main drive has been rendered fertile for the growth 
of trees, shrubbery, and the grass of lovely lawns. 

We dined the other day with a friend whose house is a gem 
of art and beauty. The dining-room, especially, is worthy a 
description. Its furniture and the flooring and aU the other 
wood- work are from foreign countries. To particularize : The 
parquet floor, which is wrought out of a variety of woods in 
beautiful designs, the doors, the frieze, and dados were made in 
Switzerland ; Italy contributed the statuary, the paintings and 
the marble mantel-pieces ; the table-service came from Dresden 
and Bohemia. Two Sevres vases and several bronze pieces were 
brought from Paris. The sideboard was manufactured in Ham- 
burg. The dining-table and chairs were imported from Eng- 



MEXICAN FISHERMAN'S PEARL. 145 

land. Every article in this room is of foreign origin. It would 
seem that sending to Europe for fine woods is like '' taking coals 
to Newcastle," for in Cahfornia are to be found as finely-grained 
and richly-colored woods as can be found in any country, and 
skilled labor for wood- working can be obtained as readily in 
America as in foreign countries. Nevertheless these California 
Monte-Cristos have expended their money in Europe ! 

We have indeed much to boast of in our own country. It 
has the largest trees, the largest cave, the largest cataract, and 
the largest geyser spring in the world, and now I hear it pos- 
sesses the largest pearl ever found. Not long ago, a poor Mex- 
ican fisherman, at a small seaport, dredged up a large oyster, 
and, to his great astonishment, found it contained a magnifi- 
cent pearl. It is pure white, oval in shape, more than an inch 
and a half long by about one inch broad. Experts have pro- 
nounced it to be the finest pearl ever discovered. The poor 
fisherman wants several thousand pounds sterling for it. How 
much of this pearl story is true I do not know, but it is widely 
circulated here. 



JAPAN 



Yokohama, September 2Y. After "tiffin" at noon to-day 
we started for a drive. Our vehicle was a jinrickshaw, a two- 
wheeled cart, shaped like a child's hand-carriage, with a canvass 
hood drawn half over it. The conveyance was just large 
enough for the comfortable accommodation of one person. It 
was moved by two tattooed coolies, one drawing and the other 
pushing. Coolies employed in family service wear loose sacks, 
which afford a more substantial covering than tattoo. The pas- 
senger is protected from rain by oiled paper covering the top of 
the vehicle, and enclosing the person as if in a bag. Few horses 
are to be seen in the streets, and they are not for hire. They 
belong to foreigners residing in the country. Horses are required 
only for long journeys. We entered a lacquer-shop, and saw 
many beautiful pieces of furniture, and rich bronzes with 
elaborate gold and silver inlaid work. This bronze-work is a 
specialty of the country, forming one of its chief industries. We 
went to the "Bluffs," a high promontory overhanging Missis- 
sippi Bay just beyond the crowded thoroughfare of the city. 
Here foreigners and American missionaries live. We stopped at 
a very attractive tea-house, and had a cup of tea, and a chat, 
through our interpreter, with the tea-maid. The scenery is 
picturesque, and the garden cultivation is perfect. We passed 
fields of rice where the laborers, both men and women, were 
almost naked, the tattooed men wearing only loin-cloths, and 
the women a short, scant skirt scarcely covering them from 
the waist to the knees. They get eight cents a day for their 
toil, and consider themselves fortunate in obtaining steady 
work. We saw evergreen trees dwarfed in all shapes, and 



CURIOUS JAPANESE CUSTOMS. 147 

lovely bamboo cottages with thatched roofs and small green 
bushes growmg here and there in the thatch, and little tufts of 
grass cropping out under the eaves. The children of the poor, 
from eight to ten years of age, are entirely naked, and never 
have a thread of clothing on their bodies until they are about 
twelve years of age. A Japanese is not allowed to wear whisk- 
ers until he becomes a grandfather ; hence old bachelors may 
have no beard. The 'rickshaw coolies take a trotting gait and 
keep it as long as they go. Sometimes they make long leaps 
accompanied with a good-natured yell, both coolies jumping 
together. This movement ends with a jerk, causing an unpleas- 
ant sensation to the passenger. They get over the ground 
as fast as horses. An active coolie can make fifty or sixty 
miles a day and not feel fatigued. The waiters at our hotel are 
scantily clothed. They wear a loose frock coming just below 
the knees, but no shirt. Although their legs are bare, their 
stockingless feet are encased in toe slippers. 

Foreigners are not permitted to take up their residence 
in all parts of Japanese cities, but only in certain sections 
set apart for their occupation. The tea-houses employ 
young and pretty little Japanese maids, with teeth as white as 
pearls and complexions as soft and peachy as powder and rouge 
can make them. These girls wear bright-colored loose silk 
sack dresses, with front a la V., somewhat open. Their hair is 
elaborately put up with brass pins and rings. Their feet and 
legs are bare. They adorn themselves with many jade orna- 
ments. The passer-by is induced to stop for a cup of tea by the 
winning smiles and personal attractions of the pretty tea-maids. 
The beauty of a Japanese girl changes as soon as she is married. 
She then blackens her teeth and neglects to make herself attrac- 
tive, that she may indicate to her husband that she is devoted 
and faithful to him, and that she may be distinguished from 
unmarried women. Girls and boys at the age of five years 



148 FRA GMENTAR Y LETTERS. 

begin to be nurses. The babies are strapj^ed on the children's 
backs, and are thus carried about while the mother is at her 
work. The Japanese are fond of birds. We have seen some 
beautifully-colored birds, including white canaries, which seemed 
to be as much at home about the house as the members of the 
family. 

Hucksters carry through the streets, in their hands, tiny 
stoves containing live coals, and uncooked fish and vegetables. 
A frying-pan is strapped to their shoulders. They cook on the 
sidewalks, and quickly serve the food "piping" hot to their 
customei's. The coolies huddle around these itinerant cooks in 
groups, and wait their turn for a meal. The coohes neither sleep 
nor eat under a roof. They get their food on the street, and 
with a mat and a cotton sack they seek a night's shelter in some 
corner of a thoroughfare. A little colony of them sleep under 
the veranda of our hotel. 

A Japanese miiTor is a round plate of polished steel, with a 
short handle. A lady making her toilet has one held before her 
by her maid. The street-barber and hair-dresser in like man- 
ner hold these mirrors for their customer. 

We have seen the process of firing or curing tea for expor- 
tation. In Yokohama there is one house which employs three 
thousand men and women during the "curing" season, and 
we had the good fortune to visit the place and observe the pro- 
cess. The men at work wore only loin-cloths, and the women 
short, scant skirts reaching from their waists to their knees. 
The tea-firers are paid twenty-five cents for ten hours' work. 
The firing is a simple process, and quickly done. The tea is 
partly sun-dried at the time of picking. In this condition it 
is fit for home consumption. The tea to be exported is brought 
from the country to Yokohama and Tokio, where there are 
proper facilities for curing it. It is fired in smaU sheet-iron 
pans arranged over a slow charcoal fire made of two or three 



TEA-GROWING AND LACQUER-WORK. l49 

live coals, A brick furnace and a pan are assigned to each per- 
son. The pan contains three pounds of tea, which must be kept 
constantly in motion by hand for one hour. By stirring the tea 
with the bare hand there is no danger of burning it, and thereby 
depriving the leaf of its life. The pan must be cooled immedi- 
ately when it becomes too hot to be held in the hand. When 
cured the tea is thrown into large sieves by which the broken 
leaves and dust are sifted out. The tea is then placed in large 
bins, and when sufficiently cooled and flavored is ready for 
packing. The dust of the dried tea-leaves is sent to the United 
States and to other markets, where it is used for ' ' doctoring " 
wines and liquors. In Japan there is but one kind of tea grown, 
although there are several grades of it. The choicest qualities 
are not exported, but are kept for home consumption in the 
families of the wealthy. Tea of good quality can be bought 
at prices varying from ten to sixty cents a pound, but the best 
tea is sold for ten dollars a pound. This high-priced tea is 
flavored with the tea-blossom, and the leaf is carefully prepared 
by hand. 

Another large industry of Japan is the manufacture of 
lacquer-ware, in which the Japanese excel the.world. Lacquer- 
ware is made mostly for exportation. I have been in several 
Japanese houses, and the only lacquer-work which I have seen 
in them was a little cabinet for curios. The lacquer is a thick 
liquid obtained from trees, which are tapped at certain seasons 
of the year. It is of a resinous nature and of a light color. It 
is reduced to the proper consistency by evaporation, and is 
afterward colored. This peculiar varnish is susceptible of a 
very high pohsh, and endures a long time. In some of the 
temples we have seen lacquered flooring in front of the idols, 
and in one we were told that the floor on which we were walk- 
ing had been used a hundred years, The lacquer was quite 
fresh in color and but little indented by use. Foreigners cannot 



1 50 FRA GMEN TARY LETTERS. 

bear the unwholesome odors arising from the manufacture of 
the varnish. A great variety of lacquer- work is offered for sale 
in all districts frequented by strangers. There is a large expor- 
tation of it to foreign countries. Age improves the lacquer - 
work. In the manufacture of bronze the Japanese greatly 
excel. They make the finest bronze known to-day. They have 
the art of inlaying gold, silver, and ivory in their best bronze 
productions, thereby largely enhancing the beauty and increas- 
ing the cost of them. The finest bronze is of a light iron color. 
I have seen a pair of small vases the price of which was $1,500, 
and they could not be bought for less. Some of the costly 
bronzes now find their way out of the country, but in earlier 
days only the daimios or princes possessed the best which were 
made. 

On one of our detours we visited the famous Temple of 
Diabutsu. The description given us of this mammoth idol by 
a Buddhist priest in attendance, and v/ho acted as guide, is the 
following : Diabutsu, the colossal bronze idol at Kamakura, is 
fifty feet high and of corresponding circumference. The face 
is eight and a half feet long, the eyes are three and a half feet 
wide, the ears six feet long, the mouth three feet wide and 
the nose four feet long. One thumb, standing upright, is three 
and a half feet in circumference. The knees are twenty-four 
feet in circumference. The figure is that of a man in a sitting 
position, with the legs turned under the body a la Turque. 
Respecting the correctness of the proportions of the figure I 
cannot vouch. Four of our party stood in the palm of the hand 
of the gigantic idol. In constructing it three hundred tons of 
the finest bronze were used. Diabutsu is one hundred and fifty 
years old, and is considered one of the most sacred idols in the 
country. Near by Diabutsu we saw another idol, made of 
gilded wood. It is forty-three feet high, and represents a man 
in a standing position. It was, as we were informed, erected 




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THE SHINTO TEMPLE VISITED. ■ l5l 

one thousand two hundred years ago. An old woman acted 
as our guide. She blessed us for the fee of a few casli, or cop- 
pers, we gave her, by rubbing her hands on the feet of the idol, 
and then placed the palms on our foreheads. We went a little 
farther in the interior and visited the Shinto Temple filled with 
rich idols having numerous offerings on their necks, such as 
strings of cash and long silk ribbons on the ends of which pray- 
ers are printed. Near the temple is a large brown inclosed 
stone, shaded by a japonica tree. The stone is worshiped by 
disappointed women, and by men and women in search of their 
affinities, or eligible mates in marriage. 



CHINA. 



Shanghai, China, October 18. Shanghai is enclosed by a 
high wall, four miles in circumference. The city has a popula- 
tion of five hundred, thousand. No foreigner is allowed to 
reside within its walls. Foreigners occupy the "concession 
grounds " outside the city. In the concession a large number 
of residents are engaged in various pursuits of trade and com- 
merce. The streets of the city are about ten feet wide, and are 
paved with large square stones. These narrow thoroughfares 
are very dirty and full of disgusting sights and smells. There 
are no sidewalks. The houses on the principal streets are used 
for shops. There are no windows on the first floors of the build- 
ings ; the entire front is open during the day, and closed by 
heavy lattice-work at night. The merchant lives in the second 
story, which is only a loft, or rough shelter for the family. 
Streets are shaded by large oiled-paper signs suspended from the 
upper part of the houses and extended across the thoroughfares. 
These signs enumerate the articles for sale, with their prices, and 
the particular inducements offered by the different shop-keepers. 
The streets are filled with idlers. The only conveyances are 
sedan-chairs carried by coolies. In the European concession 
small ponies are employed for transportation. The vehicles 
used are called "traps," a name borrowed from the English. 
The favorite conveyance in Shanghai is a wheelbarrow, with 
the wheel in its center and on each side of it a seat. The vehicle 
is wheeled by a coolie. We have ridden in many kinds of car- 
riages, but never until now on a wheelbarrow. There is no 
particular quarter in which the rich merchants live. Their 
houses are interspersed with those of the poor, and they live 



THE PEOPLE OF THE JUNKS. 153 

over their own shops m a very humble way. Endeavoring to 
conceal their riches, they often bury their money in the ground 
in some spot known only to themselves. If they did not do this, 
a large part of their property would be demanded for tribute. 
When a rich Chinaman is "tracked" by the Government, and 
his possessions discovered, the greater part of his wealth is 
appropriated by it. We have driven on the " Bubbling Well 
Road," which derives its name from the boiling spring three 
miles from the city, in the concession district. The road is 
macadamized and is as smooth as a floor. There are many 
beautiful villas along the road which are occupied by foreigners. 

A novel sight to us is that of men carrying fans, which 
they use for sunshades when desirable. When the fan is not in 
use it is placed at the back of the neck, under the blouse, with 
one end projecting beyond the right ear. The Chinamen know 
how to use the fan quite as coquettishly as do our ladies at 
home. We do not see inany women in the streets. Now and 
then a sedan-chair goes by with the curtains drawn down, 
causing us to imagine a woman is secluded within. 

The junks in the harbor are alive with women and children 
who seem to be scarcely two removes from the progenitors of 
Man, judging by the Darwin theory. These boat-women wear 
the merest apology for a dress. Their feet grow to the natural 
size. Only the higher class of women have cramped and dis- 
torted feet, causing them to walk with great difficulty ; the 
binding of the feet causes a gait similar to walking on stilts. 
The social status of a Chinese woman is determined somewhat 
by the size of her feet. If they have been bound up and 
cramped at an early age they indicate that the woman is of 
high degree, and has never been compelled to perform any man- 
ual labor. The women destined to be children's nurses have 
feet about half the natural length, and walk with an unsteady 
gait. The Chinese have not the attractive faces and manners 



154 FRA GMENTA RY LE TTERS. 

of the Japanese. The Japanese look jolly and coquettish, while 
the Chinaman seems never to smile. 

In Shanghai the punishment for stealing is cruelly severe. 
Your father was present the other day at the trial of a China- 
man for stealing a few cash. The man was found guilty, and 
sentenced to receive two hundred blows. The punishment was 
at once administered. He was stripped bare and laid upon the 
floor. A stout man gave him fifty blows on the back and legs 
with a heavy piece of bamboo, A second whipper gave him 
fifty more, and finally the fourth finished the two hundred. The 
man did not utter a groan until the last fifty blows were com- 
menced. Then the judge cried out, " Harder ! harder !" When 
all the blows had been inflicted, the criminal's bleeding and 
swollen flesh was dressed with salt and water. Then he was 
ordered to leave the place. The only recourse for this suffering 
and bleeding human being was to go into the streets and beg 
his living, or to lie down and die of starvation. 

Canton, October 31. The scenery along Pearl Eiver is tame 
and uninteresting, save that of the rice-fields, banana-groves, 
pagodas, and a luxuriant growth of cacti. The shores are flat. 
We approached Canton through a fleet of junks alive with 
women and children. Thousands of human beings annually 
born on the craft in the river spend their lives on the water and 
never go ashore. Generation after generation live in these 
floating homes, and never know any other. If a junk becomes 
overpopulated with children, the ordinary precautions for pre- 
venting their crawling overboard and dropping into the river are 
not exercised. When one of the little undesirable innocents 
falls into the stream and is drowned, it is deemed to be the will of 
the Higher Power, and the mother is comforted by the thought. 
More care is taken of infant boys than of infant girls. Boys 
are more useful than girls. If a Chinaman having two boys 



THINGS SEEN AT CANTON. 155 

and two girls is asked how many children he has, he will ans- 
wer two children and two "piecee girl." The idea sought to be 
conveyed is that boys are worthy to be called children, and that 
" piecee girl " designates the inferiority of girls. So if feminine 
babies are too abundant, it is not a difficult matter to arrange 
that more boys than girls shall continue to be members of the 
family circle. The daily life of this boat population is always 
in view. When the concert and theatre j unks, brilliantly lighted 
with lanterns, take convenient positions, the people on the 
smaller junks propel their craft close to them to witness the 
plays and to hear the music. When a girl is married and taken 
to another boat with her trousseau, consisting of a change of 
dress and a rice-kettle, she perhaps will never leave it, except 
to visit her friends. On the gayly flag-decorated junks, 
illuminated by brightly-colored lanterns and enlivened by the 
music of the tam-tam, girls half -dressed or dressed only for 
exposition are to be seen moving merrily about, and inviting 
their "cousins " to come on board to visit them. 

Canton has a population of one million, including the river 
people. The Chinese wage a civil war in a very convenient 
manner. Whatever may be the question of the war, when the 
chow-chow gongs are beaten the combatants on both sides at 
once suspend hostilities and appease their hunger. When the 
meal is finished, the fight is resumed. Such struggles are 
commonly settled by a committee from the Feng-Shui, which 
is remunerated by the gift of some cash from both parties. 

Chinese servants wind their long braids of hair around 
their heads when engaged at their work, but as a mark of respect 
when they come before their superiors let them down. 

The Chinese have not as fine taste in coloring or in invent- 
ing as the Japanese. They value the jade-stone above every 
other precious stone. Chinese officials in high places wear a 
ring of white or green jade on the thumb. 



156 FRAGMENTARY LETTERS. 

I have learned in Canton to distinguish between a fine and 
a poor quahty of tea. We are served with tea for which twenty 
dollars a pound was paid. The high price of the fine teas is 
owing to the fact that only the last leaves which open on a 
plant are used. They are carefully picked so that the larger 
leaves on the lower part of the plant may not be injured, which 
are picked later, when they are larger grown and stronger and 
of a ranker fiavor, A plant yields only a few delicate leaves, 
and to obtain a small quantity of them a large field must be 
harvested. These leaves are sun-dried. After they have 
been cured they are fiavored with the tea-blossom. The tea is 
put in loose packages so that the leaves may not be compressed 
and their tender folds broken. When the tea is thus prepared, 
and is not subjected to a long sea passage, it is quite a different 
article fi"om the tea we obtain at home. 

We visited a joss-house and were shown the appointments 
of a Chinaman's Elysium. We saw several Celestials lying in 
bunks with countenances as blissful as if the devotees had 
never known anything but infantile happiness. With dull, 
glassy eyes and sickly smiles they saluted us as we passed them. 
The odors of the small and close chambers were so disgustingly 
disagreeable that we did not tarry long in the building. We 
saw a white marble pagoda with several tiers of gilded bells 
hanging around the outside. It was richly ornamented within 
with carved ivory and jade idols, and a large gilded dragon on 
which was mounted the principal idol. A flour mill operated 
by buffaloes, a silk-manufactory, and glass-blowing attracted 
our attention a part of the time. We were also interested by a 
magician apparently creating birds out of nothing and seem- 
ingly breathing life into them. Our attention was drawn to 
the Temple of Longevity, where liberal devotees are promised 
long hfe, and we inspected a Chinese crematory. We saw 
twelve fat hogs in a temple, where they are kept as sacred 



A CHINESE WEDDING PROCESSION. 157 

animals. The novelty was also enjoyed of driving a few^ 
miles along the top of the vs^all surrounding Canton, and we 
met a wedding procession in one of the streets. It was at least a 
half-mile long. The bride, in spangled and brightly colored 
attire, preceded the procession in a richly ornamented sedan- 
chair ; a veil fringed with seed pearls hung over her face. 
Pagodas with tinkling gilded bells, sedan-chairs containing 
large and small boxes of goods, and others filled with pieces of 
red cotton cloth and bright-colored silks, were carried by cool- 
ies. There were idols covered with gilt and jade jewelry, a 
company of little boys in fantastic dresses beating gongs and 
tam-tams ; effigies of animals ornamented with gilt and red 
paper figures, and at the rear of the procession were the friends 
of the families. Altogether it was a motley train. The bride- 
groom was not in the procession. He awaited at his own or 
his father's house for the bride, whom he had not yet seen, 
although bound to accept, as she has been selected according 
to the decree of the Feng-Shui. The principal test of the bride- 
groom's satisfaction is his admiration of the bride's feet. If 
they be too large to accord with his ideas of beauty and gentil- 
ity he is disappointed, and he does not conceal his unhappiness. 
Small feet do not affect marriages among the lower elapses, for 
the women belonging to them must work, while those of the 
higher classes are only considered to be household ornaments. 

There are no street-lights in Canton. Lanterns are carried 
by everybody going out in the evening ; if without a lantern one 
is liable to arrest. 

Oyster shells are made available for temple windows. The 
insides of the shells are ground off and made almost as transpar- 
ent as glass. They admit a soft and agreeable light. The vege- 
tables here are not as savory as ours ; their fibre is coarse and 
their substance more watery. There is a great variety of good 
fruit, such as I have never before seen. One of the popular 



158 FRAGMENTARY LETTERS. 

courses for dinner is called "Bombay duck." It is a small, 
strong fish, salted and dried, and served with curried rice, boiled 
eggs, and cheese. It might not be an appetizing dish at home, 
but here it is. There is one article of food which we would not 
dare to order, unless upon the condition that it should be a V 
European, and that is eggs. A Chinaman requires eggs to be 
buried six months in the ground before he will eat them. 

One day we dined with the United States Consul, Colonel 
L. He lives in the only desirable district in Canton for the resi- 
dence of a foreigner, excepting the Island of Shamien, which is 
just opposite it across the river. Standing by the window over- 
looking the river, I saw a little wooden box containing a naked 
infant floating down the stream. I cried, "Why does not some 
one save that child ?" The answer came, "Oh, it is only some 
'piecee girl,' who was not wanted in the family, and she has 
been Committed to the river to meet her fate." Although infan- 
ticide is a violation of Chinese law, it is rarely if ever punished. 
Practically, it is no crime to let a baby drown if it fall over- 
board from a junk or a boat. No doubt the mother hopes by 
chance it may be saved from such a fate. 

Our host served us at dinner with bird's-nest soup, one of 
the most costly luxuries to be had in Canton ; costly because 
of the difficulty in procuring the nests. They are found on 
precipitous rocks overhanging the sea, and are obtained at no 
little risk of life. This so-called dehcacy is therefore rare. One 
nest must suffice for the course. I did not find the soup palata- 
ble enough to make me desire any one to hazard his hfe for a 
bird's nest for a table of mine. The nest is prepared by soaking 
it in water, and carefully separating the cream-colored glutinous 
substance from the feathers, straw and leaves composing the 
nest, which is cut in small pieces and boiled in beef or chicken 
soup stock. The substance is tough and tasteless. 

A description of the house and garden of a rich Chmese 



■DWARFED FOREST TREES. 151) 

official may not be uninteresting. They are surrounded by 
a high wall. A small door in the wall is the only entrance 
to the grounds. We were conducted to a large hall opening 
into a court-yard. From the ceiling of the hall were suspended 
several large and handsome Chinese lanterns. The host came 
to meet us and invited us to a pavilion, and requested us to take 
seats on a raised dais, covered with red cloth, he taking a lower 
seat. Here tea and pipes of tobacco were served us by the serv- 
ants, who were in holiday dress. After an interpreted chat, a 
walk in the garden followed. We were pleased to inspect the 
beautiful fountains containing gold-fish, the profusion of flow- 
ers, the rare trees, the exquisite plants, exotic with us, and the 
grottoes and caverns connected by subterranean passages 
lighted with Chinese lanterns. In the grottoes were a number of 
strange idols and some marble tablets inscribed with wise say- 
ings. On the summit of an artificial rock, sixty feet high, was 
a pavilion decorated with gorgeous lanterns and containing some 
choice specimens of porcelain and bronzes. Here we saw dwarfed 
forest trees, variously shaped, with tiny leaves. There was one 
trained in the form of a Chinese junk ; another shaped like a 
pagoda, with little gilded bells hanging from the branches, and 
another like a dragon, with glass eyes. There were several 
formed as bird-cages, in one of which were birds that appeared 
perfectly at home in their foliage-embowered cages. Another, 
tree shaped as a man had a china plate on which the facial fea- 
tures were painted. The hands and feet were represented on 
other plates. Many other curious devices on the growing trees 
were shown us. The trees bore very small white blossoms, 
having three tiny petals. We did not have the opportunity of 
dining in this house. A grand Chinese dinner, as we are informed, 
is one of considerable formality. Etiquette requires that each 
guest must endeavor to persuade the one next him at table to 
be seated first. After some complimentary deference and hesi- 



1 60 FRAGMENTAR Y LETTERS. 

tation on the part of the guests, they all sit down simultaneously. 
The dinner begins with sweetmeats and condiments, each guest 
helping himself with chop-sticks from the dishes passed around. 
There are no plates on the table. Then comes a course of dried 
melon-seeds, the host serving them by the handful, and with 
them hot wine made from rice. Bird's-nest soup follows, which 
is drunk from cups. No beef or mutton is used by the Chinese, 
because Confucius said that it was not proper to take the life of 
an animal useful in agriculture. Pork, ham, fish and pigeon 
eggs form the chief part of the dinner. The host to honor a 
guest selects some choice morsel and conveys it to him on his 
chop-sticks. The delicate attention must on no account be 
refused. Bowls of rice form the last course. Occasionally 
between the courses tobacco-pipes are passed. Cups of choice tea 
are then served. The honored guest is conducted to his sedan- 
chair, and the host shaking his own hands bids him good-bye. A 
dinner may continue three or four hours. Chinese women never 
appear in the presence of foreigners. They are secluded and 
treated as inferiors ; even those among the higher class are thus 
treated. 

The streets in Canton have some very significant names^ 
such as the following, which, translated into English, mean 
Longevity, Benevolence, Everlasting Love, One Thousand Grand- 
sons, Accumulated Blessings, Eeposing Dragons, Eefreshing 
Breezes. The shops are also strangely named. One is designa- 
ted Never Ending Success, another Heavenly Happiness, another 
Honest Gains, and another By Heaven Much Prospers. We 
passed by many eating-houses where cats and rats were included 
in tlie fare, and the dressed animals were suspended at the doors 
of the restaurants to attract attention. Eggs whose shells were 
"•' black and blue " with age were exposed among the edibles. 



SINGAPORE. 



SiNGAPOEE, November 11. We arrived here this afternoon 
and are seventy-five miles north of the equator. Here the days 
and nights are of equal duration. The sky is seldom clear. Every 
day there is more or less rain falling. The sun heats the moist air 
and makes it disagreeably vaporous. There is much lightning 
but little thunder in this locality. Fruits and vegetables are 
always growing and maturing. Indigenous fruits form a large 
part of the food of the people, and the sea furnishes fish in 
abundance, hence it is no wonder the natives are indolent. Why 
should they toil ? They require little or no clothing, and only 
bamboo huts in which to sleep. 

Singapore is an island twenty-four miles long and fourteen 
wide. It is situated in the Straits of Malacca. It is a British 
province ruled by native princes acknowledging allegiance to the 
English crown. It has a mixed population of one hundred 
thousand, including fifty thousand Chinamen, ten thousand 
Malays, five thousand Europeans and a few Americans. Here 
we ride in gharries, a little box of a wagon drawn by two small 
ponies. The Malay coolies wear a little more clothing than the 
Japanese do. Besides the red loin-cloths, they have narrow 
strips of white cotton cloth haDging over their left shoulders. 

Our hotel comprises several buildings two stories high con- 
nected by covered corridors. It is well shaded by large trees 
and picturesquely environed by ornamental shrubbery and flow- 
ering plants. The wide verandas are furnished with bamboo 
chairs, settees and little tables where one may have a refreshing- 
beverage or a cup of tea. In the trees flit richly-plumed birds, 
and among the bushes and flowers are many bright-winged 



162 FRAGMENTARY LETTERS. 

butterflies. In the rooms and on the verandas are unnumbered 
insects, the pests of the tropics, which partly rob one of pleasure 
and repose. In the same inclosure with the hotel the Stars and 
Stripes designate the residence of the American Consul. The 
only native women seen on the streets are those of the lower 
classes. There is very little distinguishable difference in the 
men's and women's dress among the natives. Both wear brace- 
lets either of jade, silver, or some cheaper metal, and ear-rings 
and nose-rings of gold or silver. The men have a proud bear- 
ing. They tread the ground with an independent air as if they 
owned it. Evidently the women are the meeker sex. 

Formerly there were many tigers on the island, and until 
recently an average of three persons were killed weekly by them. 
Of late they have been vigorously hunted and large numbers are 
slain every year. Monkeys, parrots and other birds are carried 
about the streets by hucksters and are offered for sale at very 
low prices. 

November 12. This morning we arose at five o'clock and 
after a cup of coffee went to visit the Whampoo gardens. We 
started in a warm rain, but in an hour the sky was clear. Mr. 
(Ah) Whampoo, a rich Chinaman, cordially welcomes strangers 
who go to visit his gardens. He speaks Enghsh fluently. The 
grounds comprise an area of fifty acres, all under fine cultiva- 
tion. Here Chinese gardening may be seen in perfection. Its 
marked feature is dwarfing trees in an infinite variety of shapes. 
A certain evergreen is best suited for this purpose. The tree has a 
small leaf like the box of our gardens, and a tiny white flower 
not much larger than the head of a pin. These gardens 
contain every kind and color of tropical vegetation in the 
highest state of perfection, and also many trees and plants from 
different parts of the world. Ah Whampoo called our attention 
to some evergreens, flowering shrubs, and fruit trees which had 



• C URIO USL Y-SHAPED SHE UBBER Y. 1^3 

been sent him from America. We saw the Victoria hly here 
in its perfect beauty. The leaf of the plant is dark green 
veined with brown and red ; it is from eight to ten inches in 
diameter, with its edge turned up about two inches deep all 
round. The flower is a pinkish white and lies partly on the leaf 
of the plant and partly in the water. Each plant has one leaf 
and one flower. The lily is called "La Belle." We saw some 
rare orchids and many varieties of cacti with white, red, yellow 
and green flowers. We saw a dwarfed growing evergreen shaped 
like a coupe standing about three feet high and a horse attached. 
We also saw other trees growing in the shape of pagodas, dogs, 
birds, men and women, and many other curious forms of tree 
growth. These trees are in full blossom now. Chinese gar- 
deners might become interesting novel writers, for they certainly 
express much sentiment in the attractive forms of ornamental 
trees. There were also in the gardens cocoanut, nutmeg, and 
cinnamon trees, besides the tea, coffee, and clove plants, and an 
interesting menagerie of animals, fish, and birds. 

In Singapore the European women wear white muslin 
dresses ; the gentlemen wear white linen. The Singalese, on 
the contrary, exhibit their shiny, iron-colored bodies and jewelry 
in lieu of any adornment of clothing. 



CEYLON. 



PoEN'T DE Galle, November IS. Point de Galle has a popu- 
lation of fifty thousand, of whom the greater number are 
Malays and Chinese. There are but few shops here ; goods and 
wares are sold on the verandas of the hotels and in little 
temporary booths erected near them. G-old sovereigns are in 
demand here. The native jewelers importune the stranger at 
every corner to sell them the coins, which are made up into 
jewelry. These peripatetic merchants are Malays. They speak 
a httle "pidgin English," and are unrelenting in their solici- 
tations, and will follow a desired customer for days to induce 
him to buy something. The jewel merchants dress very well 
when they come to the hotels, but the traffickers in other articles 
wear short white linen pantaloons and long frocks of colored silk 
open in front to display a red waistcoat. Their costume is finished 
with a bright scarf thrown over the left shoulder. They generally 
go barefooted, but when they present themselves on the verandas 
they wear on their feet yellow toe-slippers. If barefooted they 
are seen with jeweled (Manchester glass) rings on their toes 
They wear finger- rings and ear-rings, often having two rings in 
each ear — one at the top and another at the bottom of the lobe. 
The ear jewels are usually uncut rubies, sapphires, and pearls. 
Some of these are of considerable value. The merchants comb 
their long, black, greased hair back from their foreheads and con- 
fine it with handsome round shell combs, such as httle girls at 
home wear. They make salaams with smiles and comphments, 
whether you buy of them or not. Inasmuch as the salaams cost 
nothing and may bring customers, the merchants, therefore, are 
unsparingly polite. They offer for sale some very pretty fab- 
rics and cm-ious embroideries, but their principal wares are 



A FONDNESS FOR JEWELRY. 165 

tortoise-shell work, gold and silver jewelry, carved ivory trink- 
ets, seed pearls, and finger-rings set with uncut rubies, sapphires 
and emeralds. While these dealers may have many real and 
beautiful gems, for they are abundant in Ceylon, they have also 
excellent imitations in Manchester glass which only a practiced 
eye can detect and for which the sellers ask the price of the real 
stones. If the customer detects the counterfeit, the merchant 
pohtely explains that a mistake had been made in the price 
marked. The jewel venders frequent the hotels the day long 
and greatly annoy travelers. They solicit one by saying, " Buy 
this, please, just to start some luck." If you buy a trinket to 
get rid of one of them, you are likely to be just as much impor- 
tuned the next day by the same person. Fine gems are found 
in Ceylon, but American and European jewelers have agents 
here to buy them as soon as they are offered for sale, and hence 
it is that only the less perfect ones are usually trafficked on the 
hotel verandas. Sometimes it may happen, however, that really 
beautiful and valuable gems can be obtained from these 
merchants. 

We have stroUed the streets, where many novelties have 
interested us. The natives show more fondness for jewelry than 
for clothing. Both men and women are bejeweled from their 
heads to their feet, while their bodies are only covered with a 
scant skirt of thin mushn. All have their right shoulders and 
breasts exposed. The children, until they reach the age of ten 
years, are as nude as when they were born, if the bracelets and 
anklets of glass or iron, and the bands of silver around their 
bodies with tinkling little bells attached, are excepted. If too 
poor to possess silver bands, they have red ribbons encircling 
their bodies. The poorer people chew betel-nuts, which blacken 
the teeth and thereby make their expression repulsive. They 
know nothing of table etiquette, but eat in common from a large 
wooden bowl. There are many cocoanut trees growing in dif- 



166 FRAGMENTARY LETTERS. 

ferent parts of the city, and forests of cocoanut and cinnamon 
trees in the suburbs. The cocoanut tree attains a height from 
fifty to eighty feet ; not a knot or a branch is visible except at 
the very top, where the fruit is seen beneath a tuft of leaves. 
A tree commonly bears a dozen nuts. The coohes who climb 
the trees to get the nuts are given one for the picking of 
the fruit on each tree. Fresh cocoanuts are largely used for food 
among the natives. The milk, before the meat has thickened, 
is deliciously cool and very refreshing. To enjoy a cocoanut one 
should obtain it at this stage of its growth. The milk is then 
of the consistency and color of cream, and is eaten with a spoon. 
We have seen acres of ground covered with split cocoanuts, 
w^hich were exposed to the heat of the sun in order to obtain 
the oil. The fibre of the shell of the cocoanut is utilized in the 
manufacture of rope, mats, and canvass. 

I can now understand why such hot sauces as curry, chutney, 
onion and red pepper are so universally used in these tropical 
climates. They stimulate the appetite and give tone to the 
stomach. The use of quinine is a necessity until one becomes 
somewhat acchmated. 



EGYPT. 



Caieo, January 26. Now we are in the land of the Phara- 
ohs. We arrived in Cairo on the 1 0th inst. From Bombay to 
Suez is a voyage of three thousand miles. We feel that we are 
again in the land of European civilization. From Suez, where 
we left the steamer, to this city is a journey of nine hours. The 
road passes through an edge of the Great Sahara Desert, run- 
ning for many miles over the sandy plain. We had in sight long- 
stretches of the Suez Canal. We ran along for miles in the 
valley of the Nile. This is a rich and fertile tract of land, which 
in comparison with the desert looks like ribbons of green laid 
down upon either side of the river. 

I have had the pleasure of making a visit to the Khedive's 
harem, where I went upon invitation of the Princess Mansoor, 
the eldest daughter of the Khedive by his first wife, and the 
only wife of Pasha Mansoor. The princess very graciously 
received us — the wife of the American Consul and myself. She 
speaks French and we were able to converse with her. A lady 
of honor attended her. We were met at the entrance of the 
palace garden by four handsome young Circassian slaves beauti- 
fully attired in bright, long-trained silk dresses, wearing jaunty, 
gayly colored silk turbans, satin slippers, and rich jewelry. They 
grasped our hands, and conducted us, each of us walking between 
two slaves, to the door of the palace, where we were received by 
two Nubians, male slaves, dressed in rich broadcloth, and four 
slave girls beautifully arrayed in many colors. The girls laid 
aside our wraps and then conducted us through a long and wide 
corridor and up a magnificent marble staircase, a giii on each 
side of us, who almost lifted us up the stairs as if to spare us 
the effort of walking. 



168 FRA GMENTAR Y LETTERS. 

We were shown into a large and richly furnished waiting- 
room, where we were received by the princess's lady of honor, 
and offered chibouks and coffee. The stems of the chibouks 
were about six feet long, with mouth-pieces of amber and bowls 
of gold, and were covered with gold and silver filagree work. 
The mouth-pieces were encircled with diamonds, rubies and 
emeralds. Silver plates were placed upon the floor at conve- 
nient distances to rest the bowls upon. We admired the beau- 
tiful pipes, and regretted for the moment that American ladies 
had not acquired the habit of smoking tobacco. Coffee was 
served d la Turque, in cup-holders studded with diamonds, which 
won our admiration. 

Very soon six more pretty slaves, beautifully dressed and 
richly jeweled, came to announce that the princess would receive 
us. After passing through several magnificent rooms, followed by 
the train of girls, we reached the door of the grand salon where 
the princess, surrounded by a bevy of still more richly-attired 
slaves, advanced to meet us and led the way to a large and lux- 
urious divan, on which we seated ourselves. Chibouks were 
brought to us again ; we held ours in our hands while the 
princess made a graceful use of hers. She kindly accepted our 
regrets for abstaining from smoking, and said that she was 
really soit}^ we could not enjoy what to her was a great 
pleasure. The tobacco was so highly perfumed that the tobacco 
odor was entirely destroyed. Coffee was again served. After- 
ward the princess was handed a box on a golden salver, from 
which she took a jeweled cigarette holder, and having placed in 
it a cigarette from a dainty little gold and silver tree standing 
upon an ivory table near the divan, smoked the cigarette as 
enjoyably as she had the chibouk. The salon was splendidly 
furnished and ornamented. The only picture in it was a life- 
size portrait of the Khedive. 

After chatting pleasantly for a half hour, the princess, hav- 



VISITING THE KHEDIVE'S HAREM. 169 

ing taken each by the hand and walking between us, conducted 
us to her beautiful boudoir. She called our attention to the 
arrangement of its furniture, entirely Oriental in style, which 
she said she had designed. It was indeed elegant, with its fine 
mirrors and antique furniture, partly covered with rich Persian 
fabrics embroidered with gold and silver. Baskets and mounds 
of artificial flowers were tastefully disposed about the room. All 
the floral decorations in the palace were of the finest French 
artificial flowers. She then led us into her study, a real bijou of 
a room. Its walls were faced with mirrors, and the ceiling was 
elaborately gilded, light being admitted from the ceiling through 
stained glass, for there were no windows in the room. In the 
center of the room was a luxurious divan, covered with crimson 
velvet embroidered with gold, and pillows of the same material. 
Near the divan was a gold and ivory table, on which were a chi- 
bouk and a golden tobacco box. On another ivory table near it 
was a large salver of silver and gold, on which were a basin and 
ewer. It was the princess's toilet table. Near at hand was a 
towel of white silk embroidered with gold and silver, and a vase 
of Bohemian glass containing perfumed water. There were also 
ornaments of gold, silver and alabaster in the room. 

The princess took us each by the hand again and conducted 
us to another beautiful room in which we were served with a 
delicious cordial in golden cups, with napkins embroidered with 
gold thread. Here the princess gracefully thanked us for the 
visit, and retired to her boudoir, followed by the attendants who 
had accompanied us through the palace. We descended the 
staircase, supported on either side by the same girls who had 
escorted us up the stairs, and were conducted to our carriage. 

There were twenty-five slaves in attendance during our visit 

of two and a half hours. The princess has fifty Circassian slaves 

at her command. Everywhere we went in the palace the air 

was perfumed. The princess was more simply dressed than her 

v 



1 70 FRA GMENTAR Y LETTERS. 

women. She wore a plain but elegant dress of brown silk with 
trimmings and ornaments of tortoise-shell elaborately carved, 
having on them a crown and the letter "I." This letter is found 
on all royal emblems, it being the initial letter of the Khedive's 
name, "Ismail." Princess Mansoor is a handsome blonde Cir- 
cassian with bright red hair. Her lady of honor is a French 
woman, a brunette, whose hair is dyed red to please the princess. 
The princess's mother is a beautiful blonde, who is even hand- 
somer than her daughter. 

The Gezeereh palace is the finest of all the palaces in Cairo. 
It is the palace in which royal or distinguished guests are lodged. 
The Khedive occupies a luxurious bungalow in the palace gar- 
den when there are guests at Gezeereh. The Prince of Wales 
was entertained there on his way to India. Empress Eugenie 
also occupied it at the time of the opening of the Suez Canal. 
In it is a suite of four magnificent rooms connected with an 
alabaster bath-room. These chambers are tapestried with blue 
satin and gilt trimmings. The ceilings are canopied with the 
same materials. Their decorations, as well as the toilet porcelain 
ware, are blue and gilt. There are also beautiful ornaments and 
pieces of furniture made of alabaster. In the salon are two 
large Sevres vases on which are painted the portraits of the 
French emperor and empress. The lunch-room, although not 
large, is finely proportioned. In each corner of it is aii alabaster 
fountain, which, when notable guests are entertained, spouts 
perfumed water. The tables in it are of alabaster, and the dra- 
peries are of blue satin. The salons are resplendent in their 
crimson and white velvet and gold- embroidered white satin hang- 
ings and upholstering. In one of them are two alabaster man- 
tels inlaid with rare stones supporting mirrors reaching to the 
ceiling, which are framed in inlaid alabaster. The staircase is 
another attractive work of art. It is of white marble and inlaid 
with choice stones forming antique designs. 



THE SHOOBRA PALACE. 171 

There is an exquisite marble kiosk at one end of the veranda 
of the palace in which there is a pretty breakfast room. The 
room is lined with mirrors and trimmed with artificial flowers. 
In each corner are exquisite little alabaster fountains from which 
flows perfumed water. The palace is surrounded by beautiful 
gardens, containing several fountains and some fine old shade 
trees. 

There is also the Shoobra palace, about an hour's ride from 
Gezeereh, another wonder of Oriental architecture and splendor. 
The avenue leading to the palace is three miles long, and is 
bordered on both sides with acacia and sycamore trees. It is 
the fashionable drive. There every afternoon may be seen the 
finest turnouts of the foreign residents, the Khedive's magnifi- 
cent carriages, drawn by Arabian horses with outriders in uni- 
forms and decorations of blue and silver, crimson and gold, 
scores of donkeys in gilded trappings carrying Arab women 
closely veiled and riding astride. We also observed on this 
highway long trains of camels laden with stone and produce, and 
now and then dromedaries gayly caparisoned bearing riders in 
bright Oriental costumes. Such a medley of curious street 
scenes cannot be found in any other part of the world. 

The palace is surrounded by beautiful gardens in which are 
scores of orange and lemon trees bending under their burdens 
of fruit. We had permission to pick some oranges, which were 
delicious. The blood or red orange grows here in perfection. 
We could not see the interior of the palace, but we did see the 
kiosk and alabaster bath. The kiosk is three hundred feet square 
with an artificial lake in the center, from the midst of which 
rises a pavilion large enough to seat thirty persons. In it are 
divans, cushions, plants, lamps with magnificent glass shades, 
and a fountain of perfumed water. The pavilion is reached by 
a little gondola. The lake is encircled by a marble water-course 
upon which are sculptured fish, reptiles, aquatic birds and aui- 



172 FRA GMENTAR V LE TTERS. 

mals. In each corner of the kiosk are small boudoirs where the 
women of the harem sip theii^ coffee from tiny ornamented cups. 
These rooms are upholstered with richh^-colored silks and velvets. 
One of these boudoirs is most elegantly furnished, it having been 
fitted for the viceroy, Mohammed Ali. The corridors around 
the lake are supported by alabaster columns, and furnished with 
fine mirrors and luxurious divans. They are hghted by gas. 
The bath is a large room faced with alabaster ; the bathing basin 
is also of alabaster. TVTien in use the fountain emits perfumed 
water. There are several small luxurious coffee-rooms adjacent 
to the bath-room. 

The pyramids are the wonder of the world and ttie pride of 
Egypt. The group of the largest, three in all, is six miles from 
Cairo. The sandy road is bordered with beautiful trees, includ- 
ing many of the date palm, which afforded a grateful shade. On 
our way to the pyramids we passed the Khedive's new palace, 
which when finished will be one of the largest and one of the 
most magnificent in existence. The grounds are inclosed by 
fourteen miles of stone wall, ten feet high, and have a frontage 
on the Nile of three and a half miles. There is a group of three 
palaces connected by corridors already finished, and others are 
building. A large reservoir provided with a steam pump sup- 
plies water for the buildings and grounds. And we also passed 
by two imposing buildings belonging to the Khedive's sons. 

As we approached the pyramids they seemed to diminish in 
size, as did Mont Blanc when we came near its base. The pyra- 
mids are three immense piles of masonry. The largest is the 
pyramid of Cheops. The great pyramid, or Cheops, is supposed 
to have been built about three thousand five hundred years b. c, 
and the smaller ones subsequently. It took ten years to build 
the causeway on which the stones were brought from the quar- 
ries along the Nile. It is said that one hundred thousand men 
were twenty years building Cheops. Each of its sides immedi- 



HISTORICAL STRUCTURES. 173 

ately above the sand measures seven hundred and sixty feet in 
w^idth, but below the sand its base must be of much larger 
dimensions. I do not know that excavations to the foundation 
of the pyramid have ever been made. 

Cheops is 480 feet high. The highest structure in Europe is 
the tower of the Strasburg Cathedral, the altitude of which is 
461 feet. St. Peter's at Rome is 429 feet high, and St. Paul's in 
London 404 feet. 

The wonderful Sphinx stands a quarter of a mile from the 
great pyramid. The face of the Sphinx bears a striking resem- 
blance to George Washington's face as pictured. 

We have seen the great citadel at Cairo and the wonderful 
alabaster mosque. If the latter is not the largest, it is by far the 
richest mosque in the world. The mosque of St. Sophia in Con- 
stantinople is larger, but not so beautiful. These two buildings 
stand upon a rocky eminence, six hundred feet above the city, 
this particular location having been chosen, it is alleged, because 
meat would keep sweet much longer upon this high rocky ground 
than in any other part of the city. Saladin built the citadel 
in 1100. . The mosque is a modern structure. It was built 
by Mohammed Ali, the grandfather of the present Khedive, 
and who has left many magnificent monuments to mark his 
reign in Egypt. It is three hundred feet square. Its outside, 
not yet completed, will be faced with blocks of alabaster, as 
is the interior. The alabaster used in the construction of these 
buildings is a richly-colored stone, hard as granite, and of a very 
fine grain, with layers of amber and wavy cream-colored lines 
running through it. This alabaster takes a high polish and 
looks like satin. The architecture of the mosque is Oriental. 
Its roof is supported by alabaster columns. Costly Tm^kish car- 
pets cover the floor. The alabaster galleries are fully fifty feet 
above the floor. The mosque is lighted by three rows of stained - 
glass windows, and in it are hundreds of hanging-glass lamps 



1 74 FRAGMENTAR Y LETTERS. 

arranged in circles and triangles. Its gilded dome can be 
seen at a distance of twenty miles. The court leading to the 
mosque is paved with alabaster and is surrounded by a corridor 
of the same. It is the only alabaster mosque in existence. 

In the palace adjoining the mosque are an elaborate staircase 
and a bath chamber which are marvels of beauty. Close by the 
river bank and not far from the citadel is a clump of bulrushes 
and trees occupying the spot where it is said Moses was hidden 
from the persecution of Pharaoh. 



AUSTRIA. 



Vienna, New Year's Evening. Christmas week passed very 
pleasantly with us. The Christmas tree co-exists with the day 
in this comitry. Every German family must have one. The 
poorest will have a Christmas tree, if it be but a branch of ever- 
green decorated with a half-dozen wax- tapers and a gay ribbon. 
At the market-places, corners of the streets, and flower-shops 
evergreens of all sizes and at all prices may be purchased. 

Here Christmas is not marked by the exchange of gifts, 
but is rather an occasion for a reunion of family and friends. 
Do not let us abandon the Christmas tree in America, even if it is 
a borrowed idea. 

The season of social gayeties has begun, and the carnival is 
already under way. A carnival here is not similar to a carnival 
in the southern countries of Europe, The climate of the north 
does not permit of outdoor demonstrations ; the entertainments 
are indoor merry-makings, festivities, and costume and masked 
balls. The first court-ball will take place January 27th. Each 
of the ambassadors gives a grand ball during the season. 

- The winter climate in Vienna is by no means semi-tropical ; 
snow falls in considerable quantities, but it is not allowed to 
stay on the ground. An army of men, women, and children 
is set to work to sweep it into piles as soon as it falls, and 
hundreds of wagons are employed to carry it off. 

There is a fine rink here where skating is generally indulged 
in. People of high rank enjoy the amusement. A few evenings 
ago a beautiful skating /e^e by electric light was given. Twelve 
pantomimic tableaux were presented on skates while the orches- 
tra played selections of lively music. During the evening a red- 



176 FRA GMENTAR V LE TTERS. 

painted chariot, drawn by six white horses, gayly caparisoned, 
repeatedly passed around the outer circle of the rink. After 
the tableaux dancing was beautifully executed upon skates. 
A platform was erected and trimmed with crimson velvet 
and gilt decorations for the royal family. A large and bril- 
liantly illuminated cafe, with dressing-rooms, was arranged for 
the skaters and spectators. The price of admission was six 
florins, equal to $2.40. Ten thousand tickets were sold. The 
Viennese are accomplished skaters. Old and young enjoy alike 
the exhilarating exercise. 

January 29. The first court-ball of the season took place in 
the palace last evening. About two thousand people were pre- 
sent. We were presented to the empress before the ball began. 
The Empress of Austria is a charming woman, and although she 
is a grand- mother, does not appear to be more than thirty years 
of age. It is said that the Empress Elizabeth is the handsomest 
reigning sovereign. In figure she is tall, graceful, and erect. 
She has the fresh coloring accompanying health, large expressive 
dark eyes, and magnificent soft brown hair. In manner she is 
affable and elegant. As a friend she is sympathetic and kind. 
The emperor has genial manners and a pleasant word for every- 
body. He is a hard- worker. I understand he rises at five o'clock 
in the morning, and by nine o'clock he has ended his audience 
with his ministers. 

The empress is a most accomplished equestrienne. She has 
in her stables five hundred white horses, the greater number 
being carriage horses. 

The empress's toilet at the ball was simple but rich and 
beautiful. It was a composition of pearl- colored velvet and satin 
with jewels of rubies and diamonds. The Crown Princess Ste- 
phanie is charming. She is twenty-two yea,rs of age, a lovely 
blonde with sparkling blue eyes and beautiful golden brown hair. 



CO UR T BALL A T VIENNA. 177 

Her toilet was of white satin, embroidered with silver thread. 
Her jewels were sapphires and diamonds. 

The ball-room is spacious and grand. It was brilliantly illu- 
minated with a double row of chandeliers, one above the other, 
in which were burning hundreds of wax candles. At one end 
of the room was a dais, or elevated platform, richly upholstered 
with crimson velvet and gilt trimmings, which the royal family 
occupied. Opposite the platform was a balcony where Strauss's 
orchestra of fifty musicians, directed by the famous composer, 
played delightful music. Around the room was an elevated 
platform about ten feet wide, which was filled with plants in 
blossom and beautiful foliage, banked up fifteen feet high. 
The ladies' toilets were magnificent, generally of pearl, white, 
and delicate rose colors ; these being the empress's favorite col- 
ors, the ladies observe her majesty's preference. There was a 
great variety and profusion of magnificent jewels displayed that 
evening. The young ladies observed strict simplicity in their 
toilets, which were generally of delicate shades of tulle, with 
few jewels, but lovely ribbons and flowers for ornamentation. 

With so much brilliancy and beauty, combined with the 
music, flowers, and the flashing jewels, and, in addition, the 
uniforms of the diplomats of different countries, richly embroid- 
ered with gold and silver thread, the Hungarian court dress, 
which is composed of velvet, fur, and precious stones, and the 
Austrian court and military uniforms, — than which none can be 
more brilliant, — it was indeed a fairy scene, and one long to be 
remembered. Invitations to the court-balls are given for nine 
o'clock. The dancing begins at ten, and at a quarter of an hour 
before midnight, when the emperor and empress leave the ball- 
room, the guests depart. 

February 18. The second court ball is over. It was a finer 
feie and more exclusive in invitations than the first ball. There 

w 



178 FRA GMENTAR Y LETTERS. 

were seven hundred and twenty guests in attendance. The grand 
entree in the ball-room took place at ten o'clock, and after two 
rounds of dancing, supper was served. There were seventy - 
two tables laid in a half-dozen rooms, each table seating ten 
persons and presided over by some representative of royalty 
or nobility. The empress left the ball-room before the supper 
was announced and did not re-appear. Supper being over, the 
emperor and the Crown Princess Stephanie led the way to the 
ball-room when the cotillion was' danced, and at twelve o'clock 
the royal family left the ball-room and the company immedi- 
ately dispersed. The floral decorations remained the same as at 
the first ball. I never saw such magnificent toilets and profusion 
of jewels as were there displayed. The Polish, Bohemian, Croa- 
tian and Hungarian costumes of the government officials greatly 
enhanced the attractiveness of the spectacle. I saw ladies wear- 
ing jeweled necklaces estimated at seventy thousand dollars 
in value, and tiaras of diamonds exceeding that sum, besides 
bracelets, buckles and agraffes of great beauty and cost. The 
bodice of one toilet was ornamented around the points with a 
dozen clusters of diamonds. The empress's toilet was of cream- 
colored satin, embroidered with gold ; her jewels were emeralds 
and diamonds. The crown princess's dress was of rose satin and 
velvet of the same color, brocaded with gold thread ; her jew- 
els were pearls and diamonds. Many of the family jewels of 
the Viennese are of almost priceless value. They are, in many 
cases, heirlooms and the inheritance of several generations, 
with additions in each decade, so that the original cost of them 
is not to be compared with modern prices. In olden times the 
diamond was not appreciated as it is in these days and had not 
the same value. Precious stones were then only possessed by 
the families of royalty and of nobility, and the demand for them 
was quite limited. In earlier days some of the old Austrian 
and Hungarian families had great possessions, and they obtained 



A PLEASANT GERMAN CUSTOM, 179 

every fine gem that was merchantable in their countries. This 
is the explanation of the enormous collection of jewels in these 
countries. A very pretty and pleasing feature of the ball was 
the distribution of beautiful bonbonnieres to the guests when 
they departed from the ball-room. 

This is the time of year for "coffees" — especially a German 
custom. They are largely in vogue with the Viennese. The 
fashionable hour for them is four o'clock in the afternoon, and 
ladies attending them always carry their work-bags. The guests 
are expected to arrive promptly at the hour named in the invi- 
tation. They remove their hats and wraps, and pass an hour in 
conversation and work until coffee is announced. The guests 
are seated at a table, which is prettily laid with choice china, bon- 
bons, and flowering plants sprinkled with perfumed water. A 
delicious cup of coffee, a la Viennoise, with thin slices of but- 
tered bread, plain cakes, fruit-jellies and fruit-creams comprise 
the simple repast. Sometimes there are readings, which occupy 
an hour very agreeably before the coffee is announced. Very 
soon after the refreshments have been served the ladies separate, 
with the parting words, auf wiedersehen, or au revoir. 



HUNGARY. 



Budapest, May 3. We came here to attend the opening of 
the first Hungarian national exposition. From Vienna it is five 
hours' ride by rail, or twelve hours by steamer on the Danube 
River. 

Budapest is on the Danube, and embraces the municipalities 
of Pest on one side and Ofen on the other side. The two 
cities were annexed in 1873, since which time the greater 
number of improvements have been made. Budapest is a city 
of street cafes. From early morning until midnight they are 
patronized. From four o'clock in the afternoon until nine in 
the evening they are enlivened with music. The Hungarian 
music is of a weird and mournful character ; it is called gypsy 
music. It is generally in the minor key and played without 
notes. At our hotel we have this music daily for two hours 
during the time dinner is served. 

The Hungarians are more stirring than the Austrians. The 
Hungarian language is used in social and business relations 
more now than formerly, Hungarians have bright and keen 
faces which indicate great earnestness of purpose. The expo- 
sition is the grandest affair that has taken place here since the 
crowning of the king and queen twenty years ago. Nobles, aris- 
tocracy and peasants are in their best attire these days. 

The opening ceremony occurred yesterday in the park where 
the exposition is held. Crown Prince Rudolph read the opening 
speech in the Hungarian language. It was addressed to the 
king and announced the object of the exposition and its import- 
ance to the people. The king replied in a few words ; he also 
used the Hungarian language and wished success to the enter- 



HANDSOME COSTUMES AND TOILETS. 181 

prise. These addresses concluded, the king, with the Princess 
Stephanie on his arm, followed by the Hungarian and Austrian 
ministers, the diplomatic corps and the nobility, made the tour 
of the principal buildings. Opposite the royal pavilion was an 
elevated platform furnished with cushioned chairs for the ladies 
of the nobility and of the diplomatic corps. 

The favorite Hungarian color is vermilion ; this color is 
worn for gentlemen's neck ties. Several ladies of the diplomatic 
corps wore toilets of that color, including hats and parasols, in 
compliment to the occasion. All the bunting decorations of the 
grounds were of the same color, which made a striking and 
brilliant contrast with the green foliage of the trees. The 
Hungarian nobles wore superb costumes of velvets, furs, and 
gold embroideries, richly ornamented with precious stones. I 
observed several costumes with buttons of fine pearls, turquoises, 
carbuncles and emeralds set with diamonds. All the nobles 
wore upon their velvet or fur caps aigrettes of feathers and 
precious stones. I saw an aigrette of turquoise and diamonds 
as large as a tea saucer ! 

Imagine the spectacle of one hundred of these magnificent 
costumes and several hundred more of richly -dressed military 
officers moving about on the bright green grass under a forest of 
trees in spring verdure ! There were also hundreds of ladies to 
be seen in brilliant toilets and sparkling with diamonds in the 
bright sunlight. Waving white plumes on the velvet caps 
of the aristocracy added not a little to the beautiful picture. 
The plain black suit of the American minister was not left 
unmentioned by the newspapers. I observed in a German jour- 
nal this morning a paragraph which stated that among the differ- 
ent uniforms the extreme republican plainness of the American 
minister's dress was conspicuous. 

The procession, in which there were royal personages, for- 
eign notables, and persons of nobility, escorted by a fine display 



182 FRA GMENTAR V LETTERS. 

of military, passed through Andrassy Avenue to the exposition 
grounds. All buildings along the avenue were decorated v^ith 
flags, rich tapestries, oriental fabrics, shawls, velvet 'draperies, 
and Turkish carpets suspended from the windows and balconies. 

The route from Vienna to Budapest is through the valley of 
the Danube River, a rich agricultural country. The different 
grains are already well advanced in growth, and the fruit-trees 
are loaded with green fruit. Lilacs in this country attain a 
luxuriance and beauty that I have not seen elsewhere. The 
lilacs here are of three shades — purple, a dehcate peach blossom, 
and a very rich cream -white color. Along the route we saw 
hedges of lilacs resembling ribbons of purple satin laid upon the 
grass. 

The Hungarian peasant costume is picturesque. Women 
wear bright-colored short skirts, reaching just below the knees, 
black bodices with white sleeves, and chemisettes, high-topped 
boots meeting their skirts, and bright ribbons or handkerchiefs 
arranged jauntily upon their heads. The men wear coarse 
white home-spun linen trousers, nearly as wide as the women's 
skirts and just long enough to cover their knees, gayly colored 
open jackets, with bright cords dangling from the front lapels, 
black felt broad-brimmed hats, with a httle brown or green 
feather stuck in the band on one side, and low shoes with large 
showy buckles. 

The nurse-girls in Budapest, as in Vienna, are generally Croa- 
tian women, and their costume is becoming and serviceable. 
They wear short skirts of bright colors, generally red, with black 
bodices over white chemisettes and short flowing sleeves, high- 
topped boots, made of fine leather, with high heels ; their coif- 
fure is a large double bow, made of bright ribbon, eight or ten 
inches wide, having streamers extending to the bottom of their 
skirts. You can imagine how bright and cheerful the streets of 
Budapest look with these pretty costumes thronging them. 



PEST AND VICINITY, 183 

Eespecting the wines of Hungary I may say that everybody 
knows that the dehcious Tokay is made in this country, and that 
even the vin ordinaire, here is excellent. There are many varie- 
ties of good wines here, to be had at low prices. In the south 
of Hungary the grape is a very important product. 

From a high point near the palace, — Blocksberg, five miles 
distant — is seen the valley from which the Hunyadi bitter water 
is obtained. This water is expcvrted to the United States in great 
quantities, and it is also extensively used in Europe. 

Pest was built by the Bulgarians long before Ofen, where 
the palace stands, and yet Pest has the appearance of a modern 
town. It has been taken and destroyed several times by the 
Turks, and rebuilt as many times by its own people. It was 
almost ruined again by the terrible inundation of 1838. In Ofen 
is the celebrated White Church, built by St. Stephen in 1015. 
Pest and Ofen were incorporated into a municipality in 1873, 
under the name of Budapest, since which time great improve- 
ments have been made, especially in Pest, which is rapidly 
becoming one of the beautiful cities of Europe. 

While the better class of Austrians are a handsome people, 
the Hungarians have stronger and more marked features. Their 
complexions are as dark as those of southern countries, while 
the Austrians are fairer, like the people of northern Europe. 

The bath-house on the Margaretha Insel, not far from Buda- 
pest, is perhaps the finest public bath building in Europe. It is 
a stone structure, surrounded by stately old trees and beautiful 
shrubbery and flowers. The baths, twenty in all, are of marble. 
The portieres and upholstery are of crimson velvet. Luxurious 
lounges and easy chairs are found in the corridors and on the 
verandas, inviting rest after the bath, beside charming little 
nooks with fountains and flowers, and a fine restaurant, which 
induce a longer tarry on the grounds. The building was erected 
by one of the nobles of Hungary and presented to Pest. 



BOHEMIA. 



Carlsbad, May 24. After a week's sojourn in Pest we 
returned to Vienna, and arranged our affairs for a trip to Carls- 
bad. From Vienna to this place is a ride by rail of twelve 
hours. It was one of the most interesting journeys we have 
ever made, at home or abroad. Every mile of the way was 
novel to us, and the scenery very charming. Until we reached 
the Bohemian frontier the country was a continuity of lowland, 
stretching along the valley of the Danube ; but it was not with- 
out many interesting features. We passed by scores of neat- 
looking little farmers' villages, and miles upon miles of fruit 
orchards. For miles along the route the fields of ripening grain 
to be seen in the distance looked like measureless lengths of 
shaded green ribbons laid upon the ground, without a fence 
or hedge to mar the beautiful illusion. Emerging from the 
valley, we entered a rough, mountainous country, with great 
forests of pine and many small lakes. We soon recognized the 
fact that we were among the mountains of Bohemia. 

We saw many bands of gypsies in camp, and others moving 
along the route. The numerous little villages and hamlets were 
pictures of quiet rural scenery. These villages contain probably 
from thirty to forty one-story-high white-washed houses, and 
a church, with its spire rising above the embowering trees. A 
half-dozen low houses comprise a hamlet where there may be 
seen a small church, or perhaps a shrine instead. Each little 
house seemed imbedded in rose-bushes and clumps of fruit- 
trees. Along the railroad are many shrines containing statues 
of the Holy Family. Here and there in the fields, and by the 
way-sides of the country roads, small shrines are erected. 

I should say that Bohemia produces fruit enough for all 



SCENES A T CARLSBAD. 185 

Europe, judging from the many orchards we saw. The high- 
ways are even shaded by apple, cherry, and plum trees, which 
are now in full bloom. All along the railroad are orchards with 
not a fence about them, nor is any sign seen indicating " hands 
off." The fruit here is as plentiful as pine burrs are in the 
Adirondacks. I don't believe the nomadic Bohemian pays 
much for his fruit ! 

Bohemia is wildly picturesque and full of scenic surprises to 
the traveler. The constant change of scenery from mountain 
to valley, with high ledges of rocks suddenly appearing, and 
again fields of "ribbons" of grain with a little hamlet appar- 
ently interspersed here and there, makes an enchanting variety 
of landscape. To me it was like passing through a picture 
gallery with a constant change of subjects. 

The women seem to do most of the farm -work. We saw 
only a few men in the fields. In Europe the women and child- 
ren do most of the planting and cultivating, and the harvesting 
too, while the men are engaged in military service. The grape 
is grown successfully in Bohemia, and fine wines are made 
there. 

Carlsbad is unlike any other place in the world that we 
have seen in all our travels. Your father became quite infatu-. 
ated with the city when he first visited it, and is even more 
enchanted now. He is delighted with the long rambling walks 
over the mountains. Every one here soon becomes a mountain- 
ranger, for the inducement to much walking, as a part of the 
scheme of cure, is most successfully effected. The ascents of 
the high peaks are made so gradual, and the provision of fre- 
quent pavilions with comfortable seats where one may take rest, 
soon teaches one that walking is the thing to do. And, too, it 
affords the opportunity of meeting friends, for nobody stays at 
home. There are fifty miles of well -constructed walks travers- 
ing the mountains and valleys in the vicinity of Carlsbad, with 



180 FRAGMENTAR Y LETTERS. 

occasionally a cafe where one can take rest and refreshment. 
One meets here with constant surprises in the way of comfort- 
able accommodations and charming entertainments. 

Carlsbad has a population of 15,000 inhabitants. It is situ- 
ated in a basin encircled by mountains, and has a rapid little 
stream coursing through the valley. Near this stream of sweet 
water are several mineral springs bursting out of the ground at 
intervals of one hundred to two hundred feet. The water of 
some of these springs has a temperature of almost boiling heat 
while that of the others is tepid. There are no cold mineral 
waters nearer than Montoni's Gessiibler spring, about two hours' 
drive from Carlsbad. In places along the streets the pavements 
are quite warm from the hot waters bubbling underneath them. 

The most celebrated spring, the Sprudel, or Bubbling 
Well, discharges a stream not less than five inches in diameter, 
which is at a boiling heat. The water is so hot that the ladies 
handle the mugs containing it with napkins. It can only be 
taken into one's mouth by sips. The Sprudel corridor is always 
filled with steam. The hot water of this spring has been gush- 
ing from it for hundreds of years, except at the time of the 
great earthquake at Lisbon in 1Y55, when there was a partial 
subsidence. However, it resumed its full force of flow in two 
or three days. 

The Sprudel was accidentally discovered six hundred years 
ago on the occasion of a deer-hunt. The animal, being closely 
followed by some hunters, leaped from a high ledge of rocks 
into this boiling spring, which was hidden by the underbrush. 
The dead deer was found, as also was the source of the Sprudel 
Spring, It is said that the hunter who drove the deer off the 
rocks was Carl IV., hence the derivation of the name Carlsbad, 
or Carl IV. 's bath. The Sprudel was a resort for invalids long 
before the site of the town of Carlsbad was built upon. In the 
early days of its discovery the nobility came from far and near, 



SIPPING THE SPRING WATER, 187 

and encamped near the spring in order to drink the water. 
Now fifty thousand people visit Carlsbad every season. 

The first promenade corridor was built in 1748. In the 
centre of the Sprudel corridor is a Vienna orchestra of twenty 
musicians, who discourse fine music from six until eight 
o'clock in the morning, during the time prescribed for the 
"cures" to drink the water. It was an odd sight this morn- 
ing to see thousands of people of all nationalities, each with 
a glass or china mug strapped over the shoulder, walking 
through the long corridors of the Sprudel Spring sipping 
the hot water, and chatting as they strolled, or sat and listened 
to the music while drinking the morning draught. An 
invalid is instructed by one of the physicians how to take the 
water. The doctor first diagnoses the disease, and tells the 
patient the quantity of water to be taken and at what intervals. 
For instance, your father is instructed to go fasting to the Spru- 
del at seven o'clock in the morning. He is to drink one cup of 
water, and then to stroll twenty minutes, when he is to drink 
another cup, and stroll again, and then drink a third cup 
about eight o'clock. Then we go to the Swiss bakery, and get 
bread, or zwieback^ of a certain kind eaten by the "cures," 
which is handed to us in a pink paper bag, and we go thence 
to some cafe along the sidewalk or to a garden where coffee or 
tea and two boiled eggs can be obtained, which, with our 
unbuttered bread, makes our breakfast. 

After an hour's rest everybody falls into a line and all start 
for a walk to the mountains. Those who are not able to walk 
may get a cart and donkey, the driver walking by the side of the 
animal, and so the invalids are enabled to keep alongside of the 
good walkers. People and donkeys reach the heights by shaded 
paths, resting every few minutes until they have arrived at the 
top of some high rocky cliff, where one finds a pretty summer- 
house and a weU-conducted cafe. Fine views of the surround- 



188 FRAGMENTAR V LE TTERS. 

ing country are seen through the clearings made in the inter- 
cepting woods. 

One o'clock is the hour for dinner, which one may take 
wherever one chances to be, for there are innumerable and excel- 
lent restaurants to be found about Carlsbad, with about the 
same bill of fare that is provided at the hotels. There is but 
little choice in the cuisine ; it is nearly the same thing all over 
Carlsbad, and only embraces a plain style of cooking. In order 
to insure the proper food for the "cure," his doctor will give 
him a written list of such articles of food as he may eat. How- 
ever, it matters very little what one may wish to order, for there 
is only the prescribed menu to be found at the hotels and rest- 
aurants. The fare is good in quality, plainly cooked, limited in 
variety, and ample enough in quantity. After dinner another 
walk or donkey ride of two hours for one's health is taken. 
Then the patients may go to some garden cafe, and enjoy an 
hour of fine music. At seven o'clock a supper of cold meat and 
bread, with tea or a prescribed wine is allowed. No butter is 
served to "cures," except when ordered by the physicians. At 
nine o'clock, the hour for retiring, a glass of cooled Sprudel, 
or the water of some other spring, is drank. 

No exception is made even for royalty in the early morning- 
walk and drinking the waters at the springs. The King and 
Queen of Holland are now in Carlsbad and go daily at seven 
o'clock to the spring for two or three cups of water. There 
are a half-dozen principal springs which vary greatly in tem- 
perature and somewhat in mineral qualities. At each spring 
are six or eight "dippers" — little girls, from ten to twelve years 
old, wearing rubber aprons — who fill the cups and return them 
to the drinkers. Thousands upon thousands of persons may be 
seen at the springs daily during the morning hours, and it is a 
motley crowd as they pass along in line, — the stout and the thin 
invalids, — all with their mugs in hand or strapped over the 



ATTRACTIVE SHOPS AND CAF^S. 189 

shoulders, for each one must wait his turn to get his cup filled. 
There are often two hundred people in line, or in the circle 
formed around the spring. As fast as the cups are filled the 
"cures" fall out of line and stand on one side until they have 
drank their portions, and others fall into their places. Some- 
times I have been five minutes in line moving slowly along 
to get my cup filled. As my prescription only calls for one mug 
of water, I have a half-hour to spare, which I spend in the 
Sprudel corridor and listen to the music. 

All along the banks of the River Tapell running through 
the town are attractive shops and bazars where are for sale all 
kinds of small wares and Bohemian glass. Among these shops 
is one called the "Yankee Notion Shop," where a great variety 
of small American wares may be found. Some -of these shops 
are no more than eight feet wide, and just deep enough for two 
people to sit behind a small counter, and a narrow space for 
three or four shoppers in front of it. The street running along 
the river is called Chestnut Alley ; it is shaded by chestnut-trees 
a hundred years old, whose wide-reaching branches over- 
hang many street cafes which are established under them only 
for summer occupation. 

It is customary here to go in parties on afternoon walks, 
and afterwards to a garden or cafe, where the ladies, having 
with them their inevitable work-bags, devote an hour or two to 
embroidery or knitting, while the gentlemen indulge in a cigar, 
all being seated around a large table ; at half -past six o'clock 
the work-bags are closed and the members of the party leisurely 
saunter along in the middle of the streets to their respective 
homes. In certain thoroughfares, where the popular springs 
are, no carriages are allowed during the early morning hours 
which are devoted to taking the waters, so that the ' ' cures " 
have the entire roadway for their "constitutionals." On the 
other streets, where the large cafes are situated, carriages are 
prohibited until the morning coffee has been taken. 



11)0 FRA GMENTAR Y LE TTERS. 

There is but little bathing recommended in the mineral 
waters of Carlsbad ; indeed, many people are positively for- 
bidden to bathe in them. The especial medicinal bath recom- 
mended for nervous derangement and rheumatic complaints is 
the mud bath. This bath is a mixture of clay, brought from 
Mariensbad, and hot Sprudel water. The clay is as black as 
peat, and is largely composed of iron, sulphur, and salt. The 
facilities for furnishing the mud bath are very perfect here. A 
mud bath is certainly not as agreeable as one of pure water, 
for one has an aversion to an immersion in dirty water. 
However, in many cases, it is an efficacious remedy for dis- 
ease Car-loads of the clay are daily brought to Carlsbad dur- 
ing the summer. Generally sixty pounds of the clay are mixed 
with hot Sprudel water, to the consistency of a thick batter, the 
mass having a temperature of 28° Reaumar. The patient 
remains twenty-five minutes in the bath. After taking it, the 
attendant gives the patient a clean-water bath. Not more than 
a half-dozen of these baths are recommended to be taken ; one 
every alternate day. 

We have become somewhat accustomed to a sight which is 
very novel to Americans. The erection of an opera-house is in 
progress on the lot adjoining our hotel, and the brick and mor- 
tar used in constructing the building are carried to the masons 
by young women. They carry the hods with no evident dis- 
comfort ; they ascend and descend the ladders with as much 
ease as men. I have noticed among them a very comely and 
bright-faced girl, to whom the masons are particularly gallant, 
for while they permit the other women to dump their own hods, 
there is always a mason ready to dump hers. The girls wear 
short gray skirts and sleeveless jackets, long red stockings and 
stout wooden shoes. They seem perfectly happy in their work, 
if I'judge'^rightly from their frequent singing and chatting. 



POETUGAL. 



CiNTRA, January 5. We came here yesterday to escape the 
noise and annoyance of the carnival at Lisbon, in which all 
classes participate. Last evening we saw a really pretty carni- 
val spectacle. About five o'clock in the afternoon a group of 
eight little girls, from twelve to fourteen years old, and as many 
country cavaliers, about twenty years of age, formed them- 
selves in a circle in front of our hotel, with a band of country 
musicians. The group danced a national dance lasting nearly 
an hour. The major domo of the party was dressed as a war- 
rior of the olden time, and mounted on a gayly caparisoned 
white horse covered to his feet with a white net. The group 
was escorted by four other horsemen armed with paper weapons 
to protect the dancers from intrusion by passers-by. 

The little girls wore white dresses, pink sashes, pink slip- 
pers with lacings of pink ribbons extending to the knees, veils 
of silver-tissue paper attached to crowns of roses and silver 
paper. They carried in their belts short paper swords, and in 
their hands semicircular wreaths of flowers and ribbons large 
enough to pass over their heads. The cavaliers wore white 
shirts, with broad red stripes on the outer side of them, red 
scarfs around their waists, red handkerchiefs about their necks, 
and Portuguese red and blue caps. They had also wreaths in 
their hands. The movements and changes of the dance were 
directed with a whistle by the major domo, who stood at the 
head of his horse. There was a standard-bearer with a flag, 
who took an important part in the dance. The movements of 
the dancers were slow and well timed with the music, and grace- 
ful beyond anything I have seen even at a court ball. One of 



192 FRA GMENTAR V LETTERS. 

the changes was evidently a love scene, during which the caval- 
iers pulled from their pockets white handkerchiefs, and throw- 
ing theai on the ground, dropped each upon a knee, facing their 
partners, the couples placing wreaths upon one another's necks 
and clasping hands. Then they marched away two by two, and 
disappeared down the road. They departed with a hght danc- 
ing step timed to the music. 

We visited the beautiful quinta of Mr. C, an Englishman 
from London, who has an income of half a million a year. He 
comes to Cintra every six months to stay a few weeks. The 
house is built after the plan of a Moorish palace. It is the finest 
residence in Portugal, not excepting the king's palaces. The 
architecture inside and outside is entirely Moorish. The build- 
ing is beautiful, with its marble halls, fountains, sculptured col- 
umns and marble lattice-work. A part of the furniture is the 
fine collection of Indian work which was sent to London for 
exhibition some years ago. For one table $5,000 was paid, and 
all the other pieces were purchased at high prices. There are 
rich Persian carpets, rare curios from Japan and China, and 
some marble window screens from the harem of the palace in 
Agra, India. There is also a collection of rare books, and many 
works of art, bought at enormous prices. In fact everything 
about this place is palatial. The house is built of white mar- 
ble, situated in a large cork forest, and has close to the house 
acres of ground laid out in gardens and orange and lemon groves. 
Mr. C. claims to have trees and plants from every part of the 
world. He employs twenty gardeners. 

We have been to Mafra, an insignificant little village in 
which is the largest building in Portugal, an old convent built 
one hundred and eighty years ago. From Cintra, seventeen 
miles distant, this building is plainly seen. This great pile of 
marble and stone is 1150 feet long, 350 feet longer than the Cap- 
itol at Washington. It was built by King John V. of Portugal, 



AT CINTRA AND VICINITY. 193 

who made a vow that were a son born to him he would build in 
the poorest part of the kingdom the largest convent ever erected. 
Thirteen years were spent in its erection. The building con- 
tains 866 rooms, 5,000 doors, and 9 courts. Upon the roof 10,- 
000 men may stand at one time. When the basilica, or chapel, 
was consecrated, on the king's birthday, he ordered refresh- 
ments to be given from the kitchen to all who apphed, and 
9,000 persons partook of his hospitality that day. In the con- 
vent is a library of 30,000 books. 

Cintra is a picturesque, rambling little town, apparently 
dropped down upon the eastern slope of the serra, or mountain, 
nestling among vine-covered trees, lovely gardens and orange 
groves. It overlooks a plain between the mountain and the sea 
five miles in width, dotted with twenty-three little villages and 
scores of vineyards, and includes a fine view of the Atlantic 
ocean. 

The steamers passing the mouth of the Tagus are plainly 
seen from any part of the village. Cintra has a population of 
four thousand. It is the only convenient Sunday retreat for the 
Lisbonese ; it is distant seventeen miles over a fine road with 
the sea in view nearly all the way. It is made by rail in an 
hour. The village is built upon over-hanging cragged rocks 
and terraced plateaus seemingly clinging to the sides of the 
mountains. The seaward slope of the serra is laid out in quintas, 
or spacious gardens, in which stand long-ago-built viUas, and 
there are frequent thickets of fine old forest trees overhung 
with moss, ivy, and flowering vines, interspersed with smaU 
groves of lemons and wild oranges. Through these quintas are 
narrow donkey-paths leading all over the mountains, where one 
is sure to meet, any day in the week, several parties of excur- 
sionists mounted on well-trained donkeys. The principal high- 
ways are bordered with stone walls six to eight feet high, many 
of which were built more than two hundred years ago. In 

V 



1 94 FRA GMENTAR Y LETTERS. 

many places these walls are entirely covered with running vines 
and tufts of wild flowers. For long distances some of the roads 
are bordered with wild rose geraniums which attain a size not 
seen even in our conservatories at home. In whatever direction 
we may go we have an extended view of the ocean. Sou they, 
the English poet, saw Cintra and said that it was "the most 
blessed spot in the habitable world." 

Our hotel is a curiosity in its way. It is kept by an Eng- 
lish-Portuguese family. Only one room in the house is carpeted, 
which is our sitting-room. We do not miss the carpets, how- 
ever, for the white and well-scrubbed floors are very agreeable 
in this warm climate. The furniture has been in service for the 
greater part of the past hundred years. It was in this room 
that Byron wrote the lines in Childe Harold's pilgrimage : 

Lo ! Cintra's glorious Eden intervenes, 

In variegated maze of mount and glen ; 

Ah, me ! what hand can pencil guide or pen, 

To follow half on which the eye dilates ! 

Byron wrote his name with a diamond on a pane of glass 
in the window which commands a view to the sea. The auto- 
graph was coveted and asked for by every tourist visiting the 
room, until a few years ago, when some "irrepressible'" trav- 
eler took the glass from the window and departed with it 
without even saying, "By your leave, madam." 

You enter this httle inn by a door- way leading three or four 
steps down into what appears to be the steward's room, but 
which is in reality the provision-room, and at the same time 
the guest's sitting-room and also the office of the house. The 
floor is frequently obstructed with chickens, ducks, and turkeys, 
which flutter, cackle, quack, and gobble in vain attempts to 
release their legs from the cords which bind them, while the 
mistress of the inn and the vender are earnestly bargaining. 
There also baskets of eggs, fruit, and cheese awaiting sale. 



PECULIAR CALL FOR SERVANTS. 195 

This is a favorite place for the guests of the house to find 
a comfortable chair after a fatiguing walk or donkey ride, and 
to await the arrival of the mail- bag with letters. 

There is no end of curious details which might be mentioned 
respecting the inn. The cuisine is fairly good ; the chef (fmuvre 
of the kitchen is a pigeon pie. A good breakfast and dinner 
may be had here every day. 

The Portuguese mode of carrying baggage when one goes 
to spend a few weeks in the country is novel, and convenient 
to say the least. The people carry their effects in large cal- 
ico bags. Two persons will each have two large bags. It is 
surprising to see how neatly and compactly things may be 
packed away in bags. This custom has its real merits. The 
baggage can be handled most conveniently and occupies the 
least possible space in a room. 

A summons or call for servants, peculiar to this country 
and observable everywhere, is given by clapping the hands and 
making a hissing sound between the tongue and the teeth. This 
summons generally substitutes the use of bells in houses. The 
coachman heeds this call as well as the waiter and housemaid. 
The gallegos, who are the water-carriers and street- messengers, 
and who have their stands on the street-corners, look anxiously 
at the windows and doors, eager to hear the summons for their 
service. The passing fruit and fish venders recognize the well- 
known call ; in fact, it pervades every branch of service in the 
country. 

After five o'clock in the afternoon scores of donkeys may 
be seen jogging along the dusty roads carrying on green, blue, 
or crimson plush saddles ladies going to tea visits, or to make 
calls of etiquette. The donkeys are driven by boys and girls, 
who keep the animals in the road and from stopping to nibble 
grass along the roadside by a switch or twisting their tails 
The ladies wear broad-brimmed sun-hats and carry bright-col- 



196 FRAGMENTARY LETTERS. 

ored umbrellas. This mode of going about is very convenient 
and inexpensive. The service of a donkey and a driver may 
be had for a milrei (equal in value to one dollar in our money) 
a day, allowing the driver his usual rations of bread and wine, 
and the donkey a few tufts of thistles. 

Cintra is the only convenient and agreeable summer resort 
for the Lisbonese. Usually the diplomatic corps take quintas 
in Cintra for six months in the year, where visiting is done 
with much less formality than at the capital. Donkeys are 
the ever-available animals on which to ride to picnics and to 
places in the country. Ladies are transported by them to after- 
noon teas, and the docile animals travel at a lively pace when 
urged thereto by the boys behind them with switches. 

Lisbon, November 29. We have seen a bull-fight, the last 
of the season. In the summer there is one every Sunday. A 
Portuguese bull-fight of to-day is not the cruel and brutalizing 
sport of former times, nor is it as repulsive a spectacle to look 
upon as a Spanish bull-fight. The ring is called a pra^a, and is 
like a large open circas-ring, with two tiers of boxes, one hun- 
dred in all, extending half-way around the circle. The royal 
box is handsomely furnished with crimson velvet and gilt decor- 
ations. Opposite this box is the grand entrance for the caval- 
leiros, or horsemen. On one side of the royal box is the entrance 
and exit for the bulls. There are always thirteen bulls brought 
out, coming in singly one after the other. 

The sport begins at five o'clock in the afternoon, when the 
great heat of the day is over. In the morning of the day of the 
fight the points of the horns of the bulls are crowned with 
small gilded balls. The bulls are from five to seven years old. 
Deadly weapons are no longer permitted to be used by the mata- 
dors, or fighters. The weapons used are slender wooden darts, 
two feet long, decorated with gay-colored ribbons, and having 



A BULL-FIGHT WITNESSED. 197 

iron bars at one end called farpas. The cavalleiros are gentle- 
men well trained in horsemanship. Sometimes the fidalgos, or 
noblemen, take part in the sport. The cavalleiros wear a cos- 
tume of the last century, — broad-tailed black velvet coats, knee- 
breeches, with high-topped boots, cocked hats, and are mounted 
on splendid Arabian horses. The batidarilheiros, or foot-fight- 
ers, wear richly embroidered velvet jackets of various colors, 
knee-breeches, white stockings, black velvet slippers with broad 
buckles, and red silk sashes around their waists ending with gilt 
tassels. The director of the entertainment sits under the royal 
box, and gives his orders through a bugler standing by his side. 

The performance begins with the entrance of a half-dozen 
cavalleiros splendidly mounted upon horses richly caparisoned, 
who make the formal obeisance to the royal box and spectators. 
After making some fine evolutions of old Spanish horsemanship, 
they retire. At a bugle-signal a bandarilheiro takes his place 
at one of the side doors through which the bulls enter, one at a 
time, he holding in each hand a dart, which he thrusts skillfully 
and quickly into the sides of the bull's neck as he runs into the 
ring. The bull, enraged by the sting of the barb, seems to 
know upon whom he is to avenge himself, and he plunges 
toward the young man in the bright jacket, but misses him, for 
the bandarilheiro has already jumped the partition wall and 
escaped, to appear at another point. The bull is goaded on by 
more barbs thrust by other assailants, and turns and plunges 
at those nearest him. After the infuriated animal has eight or 
ten darts dangling from his neck, the^tantalizers begin to shake 
large red and yellow caps before him to allure him to attack 
them, which he does, but they by dexterous movements make 
their escape. 

The mounted cavalleiros now come into the ring and take 
part in barbing the bull with a weapon four feet long. They 
must approach the bull near enough to place the dart in his 



198 FRAGMENTARY LETTERS. 

body and yet save their horses from being attacked. Great 
excitement ensues, and skillful horsemanship is displayed. 
As the bulls become exhausted they are led out of the ring, 
when their wounds are dressed with salt and vinegar. The 
bulls are driven into town the night before the fight, and 
returned to the country soon after the spectacle is over. The 
"sport" lasts about two hours, and closes with a grand entry of 
all the participants, who again bow to the royal family and the 
audience, expressing thanks for the patronage. A bull-fight 
occurs every Sunday during the summer in Lisbon. But the 
most enlightened portions of the world regard bull- fights as 
relics of old-time barbarism which are out of keeping with this 
more refined age. Consequently there is a growing public sen- 
timent against them, and they are becoming less popular. It is 
to be hoped the time is not far distant when they shall dis- 
appear entirely. 



